Emotion over Reason
by Shinigami-Kuchiki-Rukia
Summary: After the Winter War, Soul Society and the real world are at peace…that is, until 12th division captain Kurotsuchi Mayuri unleashes a new abomination unto both worlds. It's up to the elite of the shinigami plus one substitute to take care of it. IchiRuki
1. Ephemeral Tranquility

**Author's Note: **Hi everyone! This is my first fanfic ever so please don't be too hard on me, but at the same time send me your reviews and comments, regardless of whether they're positive or negative, so that I know what you liked and what can be improved. I will definitely take into account everything that you say, and any suggestion on how the story should progress is welcome. However, this does not guarantee that your suggestions will be found in future chapters. They might, but I can't say for sure that they will, OK?

In this story I'll try to stay true – as much as possible – to the way things are in the anime and manga, and that includes not only events, but the characters' personalities also. Therefore, don't expect to see romance blooming out of nowhere, where there was none before :P However, I am taking the liberty of evolving the relationships as they are in the anime/manga to what I think they could become, so there will eventually be romance, fear not!

There will also be adventure based on a plot I came up with, but it will take a while before things are set in motion because I really want to be thorough, and I ask of you to be patient and bear with me. After all, I hope you agree that action scenes are not the only interesting ones. Insights into the characters' thoughts are also very enjoyable if not better! ;)

I have placed a lot of footnotes at the end of each chapter, and while I am sure most of you are all too familiar with the meaning of the occasional Japanese words used, I want those who don't know the meaning to understand what it's all about, so don't hold it against me, OK?

I would also like to add that English is not my first language, so please forgive any misspelling or grammar mistakes. I really hope you will like this story! Without further ado…Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Bleach, Kubo Tite does.

* * *

**Chapter 1 Ephemeral Tranquility**

Kuchiki Rukia was looking out the window in Kurosaki Ichigo's room, but she wasn't taking in the view in front of her. She woke up early that morning due to a nightmare and she wasn't able to go back to sleep, so she decided to stealthily get out of the closet and open the window, hoping the cool morning air would calm her down. It was 5 a.m. but even so, everything outside seemed too eerily quiet. Rukia was still waiting for all hell to break loose again, as the few months that had passed since the Winter War were not nearly enough time for her to feel safe again.

Her nightmare had been about the terrible war against Aizen and the toll it had taken on both the real world and Soul Society: so many died, so many were hurt or mutilated, so much destruction…Power could be so corrupting that all common sense could be erased even in a captain of the Gotei 13.

But then again, the war had had some positive effects also: after fighting together, the relations between shinigami and Vizards were much closer now. Of course, the past would always be remembered and serve as an obstacle to future collaborations, but still, the foundations of a new alliance had been established back then.

Ever since the war, Rukia's "new" assignment was to watch over Karakura town for any sign of hollows or other similar disturbances and threats. With Aizen gone, no one was expecting further problems, but one can never be too sure. The war had taught everyone a hard lesson, so no chances were to be taken. In the real world, Karakura town was a "hot spot" for hollows due to the high density of spiritual power. Ichigo and his friends accounted for most of that reiatsu, and since Rukia had befriended them and was acquainted with the town, it was only natural that she would be sent to make sure everything was all right.

Rukia's brother-in-law and adoptive brother, Kuchiki Byakuya was not very pleased with the decision. Rukia knew her brother didn't like Ichigo and that he preferred to know her closer by, where he would know she is safe, but he hadn't contested the decision. She didn't dare to hope that it was proof that her brother was starting to trust her more. He probably just considered it less troublesome to let things be, and she wasn't going to complain. She enjoyed being in the real world.

Having once again assumed her role as a student in Ichigo's class, she could meet with her friends Inoue Orihime, Yasutora Sado ("Chado"), Ishida Uryuu, Arisawa Tatsuki, and even Asano Keigo and Kojima Mizuiro, and she really liked spending time with them. They were so full of energy and funny, and so unlike her cold, haughty brother…The Kuchiki mansion resembled a real world church, were silence was kept at all times, and people had a reverent attitude, though that attitude was directed to the Kuchiki clan head, Byakuya, rather than a god. Rukia felt very alone and depressed in there.

"Oi, midget, what're you doing up so freakin' early?!?" an annoyed and sleepy voice snapped Rukia out of her contemplation. "It's bad enough we have classes so early in the morning without your waking me up ahead of schedule and freezing me to death!" Ichigo grumbled. "Close that darn window and get back in your closet".

"Oh, I didn't realize that you were cold, I was actually enjoying the fresh morning air" Rukia replied quietly, closing the window. BANG!!! Her foot suddenly hit Ichigo's head out of nowhere: "And don't call me midget, carrot top!" With that said, she slowly and gracefully made her way towards the closet, though her perfect composure was broken by her eyebrow twitching with annoyance at Ichigo's choice of words towards her.

"What the…?!?!" Ichigo shouted, furiously rubbing his head. "Did you expect better treatment after waking me up at 5 a.m. by freezing me!?!? You may enjoy the cold but you have an ice-type zanpakutou for crying out loud! I prefer warmer temperature" He got back under the covers and added "And stop hitting me for anything I say!"

"I'm sorry", Rukia said using her "sweet voice" that she practiced at school, "I actually thought that hitting you might help you go to sleep faster". She climbed in the closet and closed the door but not before hearing Ichigo mutter something about an "annoying midget". She smirked but then her smile vanished and an anxious expression crossed her face as she closed her eyes, hoping against hope that no terrifying image will come back to haunt her.

*****

"_Ohayo_, Kurosaki-kun, Kuchiki-san!" Orihime greeted the two as they all reached the school gate at the same time.

"Hey there, Ichigo, Rukia", Tatsuki added with a grimace. "Did you study for the English test today? Well, Rukia, maybe you didn't need to study seeing as you're very good at about all the subjects, but Ichigo here sure could use some extra learning hours".

"Hi!" they both responded at the same time.

"Great, thanks to being woken up in the middle of the night I forgot everything I studied last evening" Ichigo muttered under his breath afterwards, throwing an aggravated look towards Rukia.

"Really, now? Well, since you only studied for about half an hour I can hardly see what there was to forget" Rukia whispered back quickly. To Tatsuki she said: "But of course I studied nonetheless, and I'm sure Ichigo put some effort into it too", and her violet-blue eyes twinkled with merriment.

"I studied too though I'm still pretty nervous about this test" Orihime said with a small frown. "However, I had an energizing breakfast of chocolate and garlic sandwiches, so I should be able to perform at my best today" she added, winking towards a yawning Ichigo. "I would be more than happy to share my recipe!" As usual, she did not notice the suddenly nauseated expressions on her friends' faces.

"Are you sure your choice of breakfast was the best, Inoue-san?" a voice suddenly asked. They all turned to notice Ishida, who had just come beside them. "You should be more careful with what you eat or it may be detrimental to your health", he added, adjusting his glassed on the bridge of his nose. A low grumble of approval was heard, and the group noticed that Chado had also joined them.

"Ishida-san, of course my choice was the best!" Orihime added somewhat outraged by the boy's comment. "Chocolate is good for the brain and garlic is a very beneficial aliment also". Ichigo wondered why Ishida was even trying to put some sense into Inoue, she was always too air-headed to take notice of any such efforts.

"What about you, Ishida?" he asked. "Did you study for the test or are you too smart to need studying?"

"I don't see how that is any of your business, Kurosaki" Ishida replied.

"You're right, I don't actually care, I just thought you wanted to hear yourself speak this morning so I decided to offer you an opportunity. It's your call whether to take me up on it or not" Ichigo said with an impish grin on his face.

"Guys, it's way too early for this and we have a test ahead, so try to behave, OK?" Tatsuki said before Ichigo and Ishida had a chance to continue their verbal duel.

Together they entered the classroom and sat down, as the class was about to begin.

*****

After school, Rukia and Ichigo were headed towards the Kurosaki residence, when Rukia slowed down and asked: "So, Ichigo, how did you really do on your test? You sort of blew off both Keigo and Mizuiro when they tried to question you about it". Her brow was creased with worry but Ichigo didn't notice, nor did he notice she was falling behind him, and he continued to walk at the same pace as he answered.

"I did OK, doesn't really matter I suppose, it's just a stupid test" he shrugged it off nonchalantly.

Rukia sped up and grabbed his hand "Do you mind if we make a detour and go through the park before heading back?" and without waiting for his answered she hurried ahead.

"What's up with this all of a sudden?" Ichigo asked, catching up with her.

"I'm really sorry I interrupted your sleep this morning" Rukia said, and Ichigo was startled to see she was looking rather vulnerable at that moment, something extremely rare where Kuchiki Rukia was concerned. After all, the impenetrable "I'm holier than thou" expression her brother had on all the time must have rubbed off on her somewhat; being a Kuchiki sort of required that, he had understood so much.

"It's OK…" he began but she didn't let him finish his reassuring line.

"I don't want to disrupt your life more than I already have", Rukia continued, "but I guess I am still doing so despite the fact that the war is finally over. I had a nightmare that woke me up so early this morning and I just couldn't go back to sleep. I guess I can't believe that it's all over and that the peace is going to last".

They had reached the park and Rukia sat down on a bench, Ichigo following her and listening quietly for a change. He figured this rare moment of confession must be respected.

"Ichigo, I regret all that I've put you through since we met and I can only pray that from now on everything will be peaceful and that I won't have to watch for trouble anymore. I'll probably return to Soul Society after another month or so, just to make sure that there's no more trouble". Her eyes were starting down and her voice was somewhat sad and melancholic.

"_Ano_, you don't have to apologize for anything, Rukia" he said quietly. "You made a great personal sacrifice for me and my family the night we met and you opened my eyes to a different world. Because of you I was able to take part in battles, and while I will admit that it hasn't been easy, I wouldn't have had it any other way. I could use my powers to help others, and be true to my name, 'the one who protects'".

"Oh? I thought your name meant 'strawberry'" Rukia said with a weak smile. "I'm glad you feel that way, but you have the right to live a normal life without horrid battles."

"And what, you don't have that right?" Ichigo asked on a slightly threatening note. He could see where this was going. Rukia was going to blame herself, once more, for everything that she considered went wrong in his life. He wasn't about to let her do that.

He had known her for quite some time now, and despite their frequent arguments and fights, they had a very strong friendship. Actually, the arguments and fights were a proof of how well they got along, and he enjoyed them very much. The war against Aizen had brought him and Rukia even closer, and if he were honest with himself, he was happy that she was assigned to watch over his hometown as her presence by his side was important to him.

"It's not that I don't have the right, but after all, I've lived much more than you did, Ichigo" Rukia said in a serious tone.

"You don't look it, midget!" Ichigo said on purpose, knowing that if anything could get her out of her melancholic state, it would be provoking her rather fiery temper boiling underneath the cold, smooth surface.

"What did you call me, idiot?!?" Rukia shouted, jumping off the bench, her fists raised, and her troubled thoughts flown from her mind.

"Who are _you_ calling an idiot?" Ichigo replied, getting on his feet and starting walking towards his house. "If we keep on wasting time around here, I'm not going to be home by 7 and I don't need my dad to attempt to kick the living lights out of me again". _Not that he won't do that anyway, crazy old man, _Ichigo thought.

"Oh, and Rukia? Thanks for worrying about me" he threw over his shoulder. "I really appreciate it, but…don't worry about it! Got it?" His permanent scowl disappeared for a second, to be replaced with a genuine smile.

Rukia smiled in return. "Got it! Let's go home" and to her, these words had never sounded truer. More and more, she was beginning to think of Ichigo's home as her home, and for the moment, she didn't want to question why that was so.


	2. The Brewing of a Storm

**Chapter 2 The Brewing of a Storm **

Sunday morning came with a pleasant scent in the air, as the first _sakura _flowers blossoms appeared. The sun was shining brightly in the cloudless sky and it was warmer than usual for this time of the year. It was, in all senses, a perfect day. Of course, Ichigo could not tell that due to the fact that at 8 a.m. he was still sleeping, but he was having a nice although somewhat vague dream about him and a petite raven haired girl holding hands, looking into each other's eyes, leaning closer to each other….

"Wake up, Ichigooooooooooo!!!" a loud voice accompanied by a soft thud on his chest urged.

Ichigo's dream shattered into pieces and he closed his fist around something squeaky and fluffy. He was surprised that this time, it was not his father the one who tried to wake him up with a kick or a punch. He opened his eyes just a bit to notice Kon, the modified soul in the stuffed teddy bear almost choke to death in his grip. He threw him straight into the closet's door, groaned due to the bright light coming from the window and turned on the other side, hoping to go back to sleep and continue the dream that had left him with a warm sensation inside, but which he already could not remember.

"You're so mean to me when I'm only trying to please Nee-san" Kon complained, gathering himself from the floor where he had slid after the strong impact with the closet door.

"Hmmm…?" Ichigo asked when Kon's mentioning 'Nee-san' made the image or Rukia pop into his head, faintly reminding him of the dream he was having before. "Rukia wants something at this ungodly hour of the morning on a Sunday?" he mumbled. "This is the second time this week that she wakes me up early, if this is becoming some sort of habit, I'm definitely gonna kick her out of my closet".

"It's not Nee-san's fault you're so lazy, Ichigo" Kon said, trying to get the dust out of him. "She asked me to wake you up since she wants you to go with her to Urahara's shop for her to buy more Soul Candy. She's taking a shower right now and she'll probably be out and ready in a matter of minutes. I don't want her to blame me for your laziness, so get up and get ready to go!"

Kon went to the bed and tried to pull the cover off Ichigo, who had gripped his covers tightly and grumbled: "Go away and let me sleep or you'll have your stuffing on the outside, you pest!" His foggy mind was definitely in need of more sleep since the mention of Rukia in the shower somehow managed to make him blush out of the blue.

Kon didn't mind Ichigo, instead climbed up on the bed again and started to jump up and down on Ichigo's back. "I want to accomplish the mission Nee-san entrusted me with, so that when she's back, she'll be so grateful that she'll allow me in her Valley of the Gods where…"

SQUEAK! Ichigo turned around and opened his eyes again at the sound, only to see an annoyed looking Rukia strangling Kon. She was wearing a pale blue dress that complimented her small frame and the color of her eyes which were very luminous due to the bright light outside.

"Ichigo, while this good for nothing stuffed animal may have said a lot of unnecessary and completely absurd things, he was right about my wanting you to join me to Urahara's shop. The truth is I'm not going there only for the Soul Candy. I woke up early this morning…"

At this point Ichigo mumbled under his breath '_As I was saying, becoming a habit, it's damn early even _now _for a Sunday_'

"And decided to go out for a walk rather than look out the window and risk disturbing your sleep…"

Ichigo mumbled again "damn right, that's the least you can do seeing as you're staying in my closet and all that"

Rukia pretended she didn't hear the comments and went on. "And something weird happened: I had a hollow alert on my phone (it was not a phone actually, it was a _denreishinki_*, a cell phone-like device used by shinigami to receive orders from Soul Society, but she called it phone for the ease of use and to avoid suspicion in case someone heard them talking) but then almost instantly it was gone. Also, I felt a very powerful and strange reiatsu for a second, but then it was also gone." By this time, Ichigo was wide awake and alert, already out of the bed and on his feet. "I _shunpo_*-ed to the location but by the time I got there, there was nothing for me to see", Rukia continued.

"I tried calling Soul Society to ask if they knew anything about this but they didn't have anything to say about it, they didn't notice anything weird. Maybe I'm making too much out of nothing at all, but I'd rather be sure, and that's why I also want to ask Urahara about it. After all, he's here in the real world so he should have felt that reiatsu." she added grimly. She had never expected the peace and quiet to last very long and she was very afraid that this was the beginning of a new time of turmoil.

"Right then", Ichigo said. "You can wait for me outside while I change and I'll be with you in a minute, after I tell Yuzu that I won't be having any breakfast. Make sure they don't see you going out my window though, remember they think you found a new place to live". He was almost out the door heading towards the bathroom, a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, socks and underwear under his arm, when he stopped and added as an afterthought: "Oh and you might want to release Kon from that grip any second. He looks like he's about to pass away and if your intuition is correct, I might need him soon".

During their serious dialogue, none of them had noticed the muffled panicked sounds coming from somewhere in the vicinity of Rukia's fist. Rukia suddenly remembered Kon, and she released the now blue-looking stuffed animal. "I'm sorry, Kon, I had forgotten about you." Kon muttered that that day everyone seemed to derive pleasure from cutting off his air supply. Rukia ignored him as she also remembered why it was that she was punishing him in the first place. "On a second thought, I'm not sorry; you deserved that for what you said. Aren't you ever going to learn?" With that she stuffed Kon into her backpack and got out the window.

*****

Urahara's shop was open for business despite the early hour and it being Sunday, and Rukia couldn't suppress a stinging thought directed to its hungry for money, ridiculous owner. The said owner was enjoying a cup of hot tea outside the shop, watching Ururu sweeping around. When he saw Rukia and Ichigo, he opened his fan to cover the lower part of his face.

"_Ara_, what a nice surprise. Kuchiki-san, Kurosaki-kun, what brings you to my humble shop so early in the morning?" Urahara Kisuke asked in a fake innocent voice, feigning amazement.

"Ask Rukia, she was the one with the idea of coming to see you this early in the morning, not to mention she's the one with questions for you" Ichigo said sitting down next to Urahara.

"Yes, well, you were probably sleeping through it" Urahara said in a slightly amused tone that Ichigo didn't miss, despite the remains of his drowsiness.

"What was that, Sandal-Hat?" Ichigo said menacingly. He had had an eventful enough morning and had to put up with Kon, so he wasn't willing to take any more from Urahara too.

"Never mind that", Rukia said quickly. "Urahara-san, so you did notice something strange this morning, did you not?" she asked, scrutinizing him.

"Something…strange? Like what, Kuchiki-san?"

"Come on, Urahara, you must have felt the powerful reiatsu that I felt about an hour ago. I got a hollow alert on my phone, which disappeared almost instantly and then I felt this very powerful though somehow strange reiatsu which was also gone immediately. I don't know what to make of it, but I'm sure you must have an idea", Rukia said with a frown, pacing in front of Ichigo and Urahara. She really wanted to think that the whole thing was just the result of her phone malfunctioning but she couldn't allow herself to be so complacent. She was here to watch over Karakura town and she intended to do just that. She couldn't just ignore a possible threat for the sake of living an oblivious peaceful life in the real world.

"Indeed, I did feel something back then, but to be honest, I have no idea what it was. It couldn't have been a shinigami, though the reiatsu was somewhat similar. It felt wrong though, so that couldn't have been it. I doubt it was an arrancar since none is supposed to be left, plus it didn't quite fit with that profile either." Urahara sipped a bit from his tea and continued. "Quite frankly, I don't think I have ever come across something like that before".

"And you're probably right about that" a low voice interrupted, and Ichigo and Rukia turned to see a black cat coming from behind them. It passed by them and curled itself on Urahara's lap, who put down his tea and fan in order to pet it.

"Yoruichi!" Ichigo exclaimed, surprised to see the former 2nd division captain in her feline form. Both Rukia and Ichigo noticed how familiar she was acting towards Urahara even while in cat shape and how Urahara responded, and they both blushed thinking about the other positive consequences of the war: everyone valued the time left with the persons they cared about much more. The war had definitely brought Urahara and Yoruichi closer.

"What do you mean by that, Yoruichi-san?" Rukia asked, recollecting herself first.

"Well, I went to investigate things back in Soul Society and though I couldn't find out anything for sure, the rumors are that the 12th division is doing some experiments. So what you felt an hour ago must have been a test of some sort and that's why I said it's probably nothing you've ever encountered before. It's probably all brand new and kept secret for the moment, thus my lack of information" Yoruichi added. Ichigo and Rukia went back to blushing when they noticed she was purring rather loudly.

This time Ichigo managed to get over his embarrassment first, letting his temper flare up. "That crazy psycho Kurotsuchi! Why can't he just keep his tests and experiment within the boundaries of Soul Society? And if he really has to test something in the real world, can't he freakin' let someone know about it so that we don't worry down here?" He couldn't believe that he had been woken up and rushed into going to Urahara's store just because that insane bastard Kurotsuchi was playing in his lab and out of it. "He probably doesn't even think to bother himself to announce us, _insects_, that he's fooling around with God knows what in _my_ town. Why the hell did he have to pick Karakura of all places? Does he think we lacked action here in the past few months?!?!? Really, this is out of line. I'm going home!" he said grumpily, standing up.

"Ichigo, sorry for overreacting about this", Rukia said with a sigh that was half relief and half regret for having disturbed Ichigo too early the second time that week, "you can go ahead home and get some breakfast while I buy some Soul Candy and I'll join you later".

"OK, I'll do that! See ya!" he said, waving and heading towards home.

Meanwhile, Urahara was asking Yoruichi: "How was Soi Fon doing? How's her hand?"

"Kurotsuchi managed to create an artificial one for her which looks very natural, and it's the best she could have hoped for. And this just proves that the 12th division does some good things also, these tests are not just for the heck of it" Yoruichi said. "I'm surprised you're concerned about her though, after all, she did ask Ushouda Hachigen to lock you inside his barrier for a month as a special favor" she added with a grin on her feline face. "Well, since that trick Soi Fon helped him with didn't actually work and Ushouda had to sacrifice his _own_ hand in the end, she reconsidered so I can't really hold it against her" Urahara said magnanimously. "Besides, you know it's your fault she doesn't stand me, she's jealous of your affection for me", he added with a barely covered smile.

"_Ano…" _Rukia said, trying to get their attention. "Urahara-san, Yoruichi-san, I understand that this must have been a harmless test, but I just want to say that it's my mission now to watch over Karakura town and I'd really like you to keep me posted if anything happens or if you find anything more about these experiments. I have a bad feeling about this." Rukia said, following Urahara into the shop, where he looked for her favorite, the Chappy Soul Candy.

Yoruichi, who had perched herself on the counter, was the one who answered, as Urahara was contentedly humming to himself while packing Rukia's merchandise. "Don't worry, Rukia-chan, if there's any news, I'll let you know". Rukia nodded gratefully, paid for the Soul Candy and took her leave.

*****

Rukia had only made a couple of dozen paces before noticing that Ichigo was standing next to a sakura tree, waiting for her. Her heart leapt with joy to see that he didn't actually go ahead of her. His outrageous orange hair looked like it was aflame in the morning light and his brown eyes looked very warm as he turned his head hearing her approach.

"I thought you were going to get breakfast…?" she asked when she reached him.

"Yeah, I thought that too, but then I figured I might as well wait up for you" he said in a serious tone. He looked at her intensely and Rukia thought that this was probably a consequence of seeing Urahara and Yoruichi together. After all, she felt the same: they should enjoy the peaceful time they had together because during the war there were so many times when she thought that either she or he was going to die and the thought still had the power to stop her heart for a moment.

"I was thinking that this is a really nice day and we should take advantage of it by…I don't know, doing something together". _Yes, we're on the same wave length, _Rukia thought, blushing for some unknown reason and noticing that Ichigo had a faint blush on his face too, when he hurriedly added: "I mean, doing something together, all of us: you, me, Chado, Inoue, Tatsuki and Ishida. Just hang out for a change, do something fun". Rukia nodded, as she liked the idea very much. Except for Tatsuki, their friends had been involved in the war too, and at any moment any of them could have died, and she was very grateful that they were all alive. Suddenly, it was very important to spend as much time together as possible.

"Well, let's call them and ask if they have any plans for the day, shall we?" Rukia asked. "I'll call Orihime and ask her to talk to Tatsuki, and you can call Chado and Ishida, OK?"

"No way am I calling Ishida, Rukia! You call him, as the pompous ass seems to respect you more, despite your being a shinigami, then he likes me, although I'm _just _a _substitute_ shinigami. I'll call Inoue instead".

They made their respective calls and they also let their friends know – except for Tatsuki –about what Urahara said concerning the strange reiatsu that morning; they were sure that their friends have felt it too, at least Ishida who had an uncanny ability to discern reiatsu, and they assured everyone that if there's any news, they'll let them now and that they shouldn't worry for now. Regarding the issue of spending the day together, they decided to meet in an hour at the park and take it from there. Rukia and Ichigo hurried home where Ichigo had breakfast in a hurry, and Rukia left Kon in Ichigo's room, the stuffed animal still complaining about the unfair treatment he was receiving. When they reached the park, the group was already assembled, with two unexpected and not completely wanted additions: Keigo and Mizuiro. They were desperate to ask someone for help with their English homework as they had done pretty badly at the test, and they were at Tatsuki's place, begging for her help, when Orihime had called. When Tatsuki had told them that she couldn't assist them due to the fact that she was meeting with the rest of the group to spend the day together, they were suddenly all too willing to forget about the homework and invite themselves along.

They decided to go to a movie first. The decision was hard to make as Rukia had wanted to see an animation about animals – rabbits included – and Orihime agreed enthusiastically, Keigo and Mizuiro would have opted for a lecherous movie that they probably wouldn't have been allowed to in any case, Tatsuki, Ichigo and Chado had wanted an action movie while Ishida criticized every single one of them, not opting for anything in particular. In the end, they watched the action movie, seeing as the majority had voted for it. Then they decided to have some lunch, and Orihime's choice of chicken salad with caramel topping made everyone roll their eyes and sweat drop. They talked about a lot of unimportant things during lunch but there was a lot of laughter involved and everyone felt very good.

When they were done eating, they decided to go to the arcade and play some video games, where Rukia and Ichigo had a shouting match due to the fact that they had competed in a car race game and Ichigo was accusing Rukia of cheating to hide his displeasure in having been beaten by a girl who wasn't even a normal real world girl to begin with, but a shinigami. Orihime and Tatsuki managed to calm things down – Orihime by pleading and Tatsuki by threatening them with a good beating – while Keigo and Mizuiro laughed hard, Chado observed everything quietly and Ishida pretended he was not part of such an infantile group.

They left towards the park where they would part ways, Tatsuki picking on Keigo and Mizuiro this time for not helping stop the fight and doing things worse by laughing so hard, Ichigo and Chado were commenting on the movie with Ishida antagonizing Ichigo at every turn, while Rukia was left to walk besides Orihime. They were quiet, not talking, but just walking side by side, enjoying the evening and the happy atmosphere surrounding their group.

Rukia noticed how tenderly Orihime was watching her friends and _one_ friend in particular, and she realized that besides herself, Orihime was the only girl in their group who had witnessed the war, and it showed. While the guys seemed all too happy to forget all about the horrors they had been through and go on with their lives as if nothing had happened, Rukia was sure that Orihime, just like her, was thinking back of all they had been through and was considering these times spent together very precious. Rukia could not stop herself from thinking about how this war had affected Orihime's feelings for Ichigo, in light of Urahara and Yoruichi's new closeness. She knew Orihime cared deeply for Ichigo ever since a long time ago, but she was guessing she now loved him even more after realizing how easily he could have died during the numerous battles of the war. She understood that perfectly since it was something she was feeling herself….NO! No, she wasn't feeling the exact same thing; she was just feeling a lot of affection for Ichigo, who was her best friend, that was all. But then why was there a stab of a pain in her heart, watching Orihime watching Ichigo, and thinking that Ichigo had done his best to save Orihime just as he had done for Rukia before?

Her thoughts were disturbed by a distant rumbling sound and she realized that they had reached the park, and that the sky was covered in dark clouds. She said her goodbyes to her friends and then proceeded to going back home with Ichigo, still lost in thoughts. A storm was definitely brewing out there, and she so didn't want to be in the center of it when it hit.

* * *

*definition of _denreishinki _taken from the Bleach Encyclopedia on

*shunpo means "flash step", a technique in which a shinigami gathers spiritual energy at their feet, in order to cross large distances in a single step; the users move at lightning speed, almost instantaneous.


	3. Experimenting Trouble

**Author's Note: **Before I continue with my story, I just want to say thanks to all those who reviewed "Emotion over Reason" as well as to those who have added it among their favorites or put it on alert! I really appreciate it and I'll do my best to write something worth reading!

Now a word about what this chapter contains: the mystery of what Kurotsuchi Mayuri is doing in his lab will be revealed. Also, I had to name his creations and I don't know if I managed to come up with the best Japanese words, I'm not that good at that language yet. But I hope I succeeded in capturing the essence. In any case, since you don't exactly know what I'm talking about, I'll just let you read and decide for yourselves if the names are appropriate.

Oh, one more thing: I am sort of stuck with the story, not due to a writer's block, but because I need to imagine how the Winter War ended and it's incredibly difficult…so many theories, one more unlikely than the other lol So I wanted to ask you how YOU think the conflict ended... Please send me your opinions, I'm sure it'll help! Lots of thanks in advance!!!

Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Bleach…too bad!

* * *

**Chapter 3 Experimenting Trouble**

In Soul Society, things were apparently as quiet as they were in the real world. Shinigami went about their usual business and everyone was enjoying the times of peace. The war had taken a big toll on both the real world and Soul Society and no one wanted to remember the horrible fighting…well, almost nobody, but the 11th division tended to be different from the rest. Zaraki Kenpachi, the captain, was the most disappointed with the peaceful – or rather boring as he called them – times. He had enjoyed the fighting and always yearned for more but he was alone in his opinion as far as members of the other divisions were concerned.

But boring was not quite the right way of describing what was going on within the 12th division headquarters. In fact, everyone there was as busy as one can get. All the officers in this division were part of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute and as their captain had a very important project on-going, they were working non-stop to monitor the progress, to register the data, to conduct tests…no one dared to do differently because their captain was known for his small regard of life and his tendency to use cruelty to achieve his goals.

In that particular Sunday, everyone was busier than usual, recording and analyzing the data coming from their latest test, done in the real world. That is why no one was watching the doors, and no one noticed a very stealthily figure _shunpo_-ing her way towards the main lab. However, someone did feel her presence. In front of the doors to the lab, the lieutenant of the 12th division Nemu Kurotsuchi stood firmly, and she addressed the now static figure.

"_Konnichiwa_, Soi Fon-taichou", Nemu bowed her head slightly. "May I assist you with something?"

"_Ohayo_, Kurotsuchi-fukutaichou. I would like to speak with your captain." The 2nd division captain tried to side step around Nemu to enter the lab, but the lieutenant blocked her path.

"I am afraid Kurotsuchi-taichou is very busy at the moment and cannot be disturbed. If you would kindly tell me what business you have with him, I might be able to help you", she said.

Soi Fon frowned at those words. Yoruichi-sama had been kind enough to visit her and ask about her health and also honored her by entrusting her with the mission of finding out what the outlandish 12th division captain was doing in his lab. She had told her about the strange reiatsu that was sensed in the real world and Soi Fon was just as suspicious about it as Yoruichi was.

Of course, she couldn't help but feel a bit grateful to Kurotsuchi Mayuri for making such an exquisite work with replacing the hand she had lost in the war, but that didn't mean she had to like him. She never had and there were few, if any, among the shinigami in Soul Society who liked him or who didn't want to avoid him at all cost. She was determined to find out what he was up to this time.

"I understand your concern for your captain, but I only need to speak to him for a few moments. I want to know if he's been doing any tests in the real world lately and if so, what the nature of those tests is." She didn't like having to tell a lieutenant what she wanted to know, but she preferred talking to Kurotsuchi's daughter than to the man himself. She was definitely one of those who wanted to avoid him, not for fear but for contempt for his unorthodox methods of doing things.

"I am sorry to say that the nature of Mayuri-sama's work is strictly confidential and I cannot share any details. Is there something else I might help you with?" Nemu asked obediently.

"No, but I don't have the answer to my first question, and I'm not leaving until I do" Soi Fon said, raising her voice just enough to let the shinigami blocking her path know that she meant business.

"Nemu, what's with all the noise? Get back here, we've got a lot of work to do", the infamous captain said, opening the door to the lab just a bit and then turning to go back in.

"Just a second, Kurotsuchi", Soi Fon said, stopping him in his tracks. "I want to know what you're doing in there and if you're testing something in the real world. I received a report from a very reliable source that a strange reiatsu was sensed this morning in Karakura Town and I want to know what you know about it".

"Oh…so a strange reiatsu was felt…" The captain's strangely shaped yellowish eyes gave a small sign of surprise, enough for Soi Fon to notice that he was interested in that piece of news and that he was definitely the source of the disturbance in the real world. "Tell your _very reliable source_ that there's nothing to worry about, I am conducting some tests and it's got nothing to do with either of you." Again he turned to go.

"Allow me to disagree. I think it has something to do with me and everyone else in Soul Society if you're going to disturb the peace that was so hard to obtain and required so many sacrifices", Soi Fon said, reaching past Nemu and placing her artificial hand on his haori*, preventing him from leaving and reminding him of her personal sacrifice.

"I can't allow you to disagree, nor will I give you the information you seek. If you have a problem with that, feel free to address Yamamoto-soutaichou. He is aware of my current endeavors and if he chooses to share the information with you, I don't have any objections. Come, Nemu, this discussion is over", he said shaking Soi Fon's hand off and dragging a bowing Nemu after him, closing the door in Soi Fon's face.

_Well, that went well._ Soi Fon thought. _I hate that superior attitude of his…I hate everything about him actually. Now what am I going to tell Yoruichi-sama?_

She knew that she couldn't possibly go to the Captain-Commander and ask him about this, she didn't have the authority to question another captain's business when Yamamoto-soutaichou was already informed of it and apparently had given his consent, but she took a small comfort in knowing that if that was so, then whatever Kurotsuchi was doing in his lab was not something to worry about…theoretically.

*****

Inside the main laboratory, Mayuri and Nemu walked back to the prototypes they were experimenting with. The war had had indeed many and various consequences, and one of them was to make Kurotsuchi Mayuri take on a new challenge: to create an army of artificial shinigami that would do the fighting next time a war came to be, thus avoiding the loss of souls in battle. He had named his latest prototypes after the humans' word for artificial creations, "robots", thus calling them "_jinin_"*.

He had given a lot of thought to what kind of abilities his jinin should have. He had taken into account all the various threats that shinigami had had to face in the past and he also considered the different types of other fascinating creatures with special abilities that existed out there – Hollows, Arrancar, Quincy, Bounts, Vizards, Modified Souls to name but a few –, not forgetting to think that new threats may come in the future. With that in mind, he decided it was best to turn the enemies' powers against themselves and use them to the jinin' advantage. That is how he created his 5 prototypes.

"Nemu, report. How are my jinin doing?" Kurotsuchi asked Nemu when they reached 5 sealed cylinders at the back of the laboratory. Nemu went in front of the first cylinder, pushed a button that made the protective shield lift off the cylinder to reveal a humanoid form. The jinin had the body exactly as a human with a few differences. First, its "skin" seemed to be made of an extremely enduring metal and had a silver color. Second, its eyes had a silvery, transparent nondescript color, and last, it had no hair on its head. It was dressed in robes not unlike the shinigamis', but sleeveless.

"Gekitai* has been properly tested and his ability to repel any type of attack was confirmed", Nemu said after reading the data from the screen attached to the cylinder.

"Wonderful! I may not have Inoue Orihime as a test subject but I think I have managed to copy her ability well enough without her. What about the second ability?" Mayuri asked, rubbing his hands together in delight.

"The second ability was also confirmed: Gekitai can use the reverse form of any attack directed towards it on its opponents." Nemu confirmed.

"Perfect! Next subject", he demanded.

"Hensei* is also confirmed to be able to morph into any of the other jinin, and use their abilities while in their form. We have not tested its ability when it is into Repurika's form due to the fact that you haven't ordered Repurika* to be tested yet, Mayuri-sama", Nemu continued.

"Correct, and I want to test both Repurika and Hensei's ability while in Repurika's form as soon as possible. Move on", he said with a speculative glint in his eyes.

"Mahi Itami* is also functioning properly; its ability was tested earlier on in the real world against the hollow chosen by you, Mayuri-sama. As expected, the hollow was completely immobilized and couldn't avoid Mahi Itami's attack, and when it was hit it instantly felt excruciating pain, rendering it incapable of any rational thought and thus an easy victim to Mahi Itami's next attack."

"Good. As we haven't tested Repurika's ability to multiply itself yet, tell me how Surikireru* is doing" Mayuri said, moving along with Nemu to the last cylinder, skipping the fourth one.

"Its ability to drain reiatsu from its opponents and transform it into its own strength was confirmed." Nemu informed him.

"I'm glad to hear there are no problems. What about their weapons? Are they functional?" Mayuri asked, his strange face focused on the information.

"All weapons are 100% functional, including Repurika's one. Their resistance was also tested and they are as enduring as you have foreseen, Mayuri-sama. They are practically indestructible, their only observed weakness being ice. If an ice attack is used against them, followed by another very powerful destructive attack, unfortunately they shatter into pieces and cannot regenerate as they usually do from other types of attacks. This wasn't tested on them because their destruction must be avoided, given that each of them is unique, but when we observed that ice affected them so much, we simulated what an attack would do to them while completely frozen."

"Yes, I haven't been able to come up with a solution for that particular weak spot but there is no such thing as perfect in this world, as I once told that arrogant insect of an arrancar, Szayel Aporro Granz. I stand by my opinion that if perfection existed then there would be no room for imagination, and that a true scientist's job is to create better things, but never perfect. I truly _loathe _perfection. So the news that my jinin have a weak spot is not unfortunate at all. I will give the issue further thought and I am confident that in time I will find a way to overcome it. And then I'll find new ways to improve them."

"Still, I would say that the jinin are ready for battle, if it weren't for the issue of the remaining tests, and I am very intrigued by what that annoying 2nd division captain told me", Mayuri said with an unsatisfied look.

"Which of Soi Fon-taichou's words have caught your attention, Mayuri-sama?" Nemu asked politely, but her captain was lost in thought and did not hear her.

"She said that a strange reiatsu was felt in the real world…that shouldn't have happened…The jinin may have as power source spirit particles, a smart idea taken from our old acquaintances the Bounts, but they are not supposed to have reiatsu. They don't have souls, they don't and they can't have zanpakutous, so why would they have reiatsu? I don't like things that are unaccounted for. I wonder if they developed that on their own", Mayuri mused. "I did provide them with artificial intelligence, so theoretically they can evolve. But I don't like that idea at all. They are not supposed to evolve uncontrollably; it's my job as a scientist to improve them. If they are developing reiatsu on their own, what else might they develop independently?" This thought did not sit well with Mayuri, and impatiently he paced in front of the five cylinders, throwing short glances to the jinin every now and then.

"Nemu!" Mayuri suddenly called, stopping in his tracks. Nemu was watching her captain as he toyed with different ideas in his mind, not wanting to interrupt him, but she was quick to respond. "What is it, Mayuri-sama?"

"You haven't said anything about how their programming is coming along. I want to make sure that they understand the most important rule they have to obey: they must protect shinigami, plus souls and humans at all costs, from any type of danger. Have they assimilated this?"

"Yes, Mayuri-sama, the rules have been imprinted into their memories. They will protect and they will also obey".

"Good, make sure they know the hierarchy when it comes to obeying. With these two simple rules they should present no trouble and they should be extremely efficient soldiers…but I don't like the idea that they might evolve on their own. Monitor every single change and analyze it thoroughly, I want to know absolutely everything. The jinin are powerful and we would not want them out of control, understood?" Mayuri asked in a raised voice.

"Of course, Mayuri-sama", Nemu answered obediently.

*****

10 days had passed since the incident with the strange reiatsu, and Rukia was starting to relax again. Ever since that day she had been pretty tense, her nightmares had become more frequent, now haunted by a terrifying new threat that she couldn't define, and she was waking up in the middle of the night almost every night. Despite her attempts to keep quiet and move about stealthily to prevent Ichigo from waking up, he would wake up every other night and make a scene about her "stupid new habit" and threatening to throw her out.

She now felt double guilty: for waking him up in the middle of the night along with her, and for worrying him that there was a threat out there when apparently there wasn't one after all. She hadn't been able to appreciate the peaceful times at full value due to this stress, but slowly she was starting to fall back into her previous contentment with life as it was in the real world, by Ichigo's side.

They were returning from classes together, and Rukia wondered what was bothering Ichigo. It couldn't have been his English test result, he had obtained a very good grade. His scowl was deeper than usual, and he seemed very lost in thought. She was afraid that her pessimism was starting to rub off on him and she wanted to slap herself for ruining his mood which was not very cheerful on a normal basis in any case. Rukia preferred not to interfere in his life more than she already had, feeling that if there was something he wanted to share with her, he would do it in his own time. But suspecting it was her fault, she just couldn't keep quiet. She would have to confront him and clear the situation.

"Ichigo, I sense you are troubled…Care to tell me what's on your mind?" she feigned detachment, as she had had years on end of observing that behavior in her brother. She was hoping that by acting like this he would be more willing to open up, though she was certainly not ready for his following words.

"Yeah, you're on my mind" he said darkly. Rukia blushed ten shades of red, not understanding what he meant for a moment, but then she remembered her own suspicions and she made the connection.

"Oh…right…I actually wanted to talk to you about that" she said in a subdued voice. Then she started speaking very fast, to be able to get everything off her chest as soon as possible. "I know how you hate the fact that I wake you up at night because of my nightmares, and I really regret disturbing your sleep, but I was thinking about that and….well, you usually don't have problems sleeping and you don't wake up so easily, and you shouldn't wake up because I always try to be as silent as possible, so I believe that you're waking up because we've grown so attuned to one another. We've fought so many battles together and lived in close proximity so I think it would be best for me to move in with Orihime. She was always saying how she could sleep through anything, and I am sure she wouldn't mind taking me in if I tell her that I don't have anywhere else to…"

Ichigo cut her off, rolling his eyes and speaking in an annoyed tone: "There's no need for you to move in with Inoue, and when I said you were on my mind I was not referring to the fact that you wake me up early every now and then." Rukia blushed again, as this time she really couldn't find a logical explanation for his words… except something that she didn't have the power to think about right now. "I was talking about your nightmares, your stress and your worries, and your lack of sleep thereof."

"Oh…" Rukia's face returned to its normal color, though what he was saying was equally significant to her. _He_ was worried for _her_?!? When she was worrying about him? But at least she got one thing right: she _was_ the cause of his worries, only from a different point of view than she had thought.

"I don't like to see you so restless during this rare time when we don't have to fight hollows every day, nor is any other enemy threatening us. You should use this time to relax and enjoy life. These are the words that you told me not so long ago and I want to remind you that I'm not the only one with a life to live. So I will live and enjoy my life only if you do so also. Do we have a deal?" he asked, outstretching his hand towards her.

She couldn't believe that their roles had been reversed and now he was trying to make sure that she forgot all about the war and moved on. But she could feel that warm, sweet feeling in her chest again, and another smile turned up the corners of her mouth as she placed her hand in his. Her icy little hand seemed to fit perfectly in his large warm one, and when they shook hands, she felt a current pass from him to her…or was it the other way around?

_Ichigo, you have warmed my icy world_, Rukia thought.

_Rukia, you have stopped the rain_, Ichigo thought.

Their faces seemed to have gotten closer and suddenly Ichigo had a flashback of the dream he had forgotten when he was woken up by Kon: him holding hands with a raven haired, deep blue eyed petite girl, closing the distance between them. He felt an irresistible urge to not miss this chance to see what would have happened in his dream, so he willingly leaned down, very close to Rukia's face that had a bemused expression, and then they both closed their eyes while coming closer still and….

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Rukia's phone was announcing a hollow alert.

Both Ichigo's and Rukia's eyes snapped opened and they stepped back from each other, their faces an assorted shade or red. Rukia's phone had already stopped ringing by the time she fished it out of the back pocket of her black jeans, but the alert was not the only thing that had distracted them. They had felt two very powerful and strong reiatsu and before either of them could say something they felt a third and a fourth.

"Let's go!" Rukia shouted. She took Kon out of her backpack and threw him to Ichigo, then popped a Chappy Soul Candy in her mouth and quickly shunpo-ed away in her shinigami form. Ichigo followed her lead after taking the modified soul out of the stuffed animal and swallowing it. He didn't even begin to hear what Kon was shouting as he distanced himself from him and Chappy.

But midway to the destination, the reiatsu disappeared, and he stopped with Rukia on a rooftop. They didn't know what to make of it, especially since they just had a conversation about forgetting suspicious events and relaxing for a change.

Rukia was the first to speak and she told Ichigo: "I hope you now agree that there's something strange going on, and even if these are just Kurotsuchi-taichou's test, I should check it out." She had already reached the conclusion that unless she had more information about this, she would not be able to relax as she had promised Ichigo, and that meant going to Soul Society to investigate. A bit of time spent away from Ichigo would also help her clear her head, as she hadn't forgotten what was happening before the hollow alert went off. This was the best thing to do, so she continued to speak calmly and decidedly. "I am sure that Yoruichi asked Soi Fon-taichou to investigate, but it's equally obvious that they haven't been able to find out anything useful. If normal captains don't have access to this information, then maybe a captain who is also the clan head of one of the noble families will know more or at least will be able to find out."

Ichigo groaned at the thought of Rukia's adoptive brother Byakuya. There was no love lost between the two, from either side, as Ichigo didn't stand Byakuya any better than the haughty captain could stand the substitute shinigami. Ichigo would never forgive Byakuya for almost sacrificing his sister for the sake of _rules_. He could not conceive such a thing himself and he hoped that Byakuya knew better now. Of course, he couldn't deny that Byakuya had saved Rukia's life on a number of occasions when Ichigo was fighting somewhere else and couldn't save her himself, but that didn't mean that he could forget about that time when Rukia was put through so much suffering because she gave Ichigo her shinigami powers and because of Aizen's wicked plans, not to mention Urahara's interference.

"I am going back to Soul Society to find out what is going on, it is my duty as the shinigami in charge with Karakura Town", Rukia continued. "I plan to stay only as long as it is needed and then I will come back to tell you what I have found out. I am sure our friends will also want to know what's going on, they must have felt the reiatsu themselves, so after I leave, please tell them that I have gone to investigate what this is all about."

Not leaving time for Ichigo to object, she opened the Senkai gate and a hell butterfly came through to guide her to Soul Society. She took a few steps, and then turned her head to say: "See you soon, _strawberry_" and she smiled to Ichigo.

"Yeah…and don't take too long, _midget_, or you can bet your ass I'm coming after you" Ichigo said with a grin. The gate closed behind Rukia and disappeared.

* * *

*haori is the white lightweight jacket that captains wear over their shinigami robes.

*_jinin_ is a short form I came up with for "jinzo ningen" which means "robot" in Japanese; same form for singular and plural.

*Gekitai is Japanese for repel, oppose, confront.

*Hensei is Japanese for metamorphosis.

*Repurika is the Japanese form of the English word "replica".

*Mahi Itami are the Japanese words for paralysis and pain.

*Surikireru is Japanese for the verb "to wear out", "to exhaust"

* * *

**Author's Note: **Well, let me know if you liked the names and I'm waiting for your suggestions on how the Winter War ended. I hope to post the 4th chapter soon, but to give you a hint as to what it may contain - if you haven't figured that one out already -, the chapter is called "Visit to the Kuchiki Mansion".

Bye for now!


	4. Vision to the Kuchiki Mansion

**Author's Note:**I hope you like my story so far, and don't worry, the best is yet to come, though it might take a while.

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own Bleach, sorry.

* * *

**Chapter 4 Visit to Kuchiki Mansion**

Rukia got out through the Kuchiki Senkai gate and stepped into the Kuchiki Mansion vast garden. Although she had had a very good time in the real world, she was relieved to be back in Soul Society where she would seek the answers to her two problems: the mysterious experiments of Kurotsuchi Mayuri and the strange feelings that were invading her lately when she was close to Ichigo.

She shunpo-ed her way towards the mansion and a few of the servants and Kuchiki relatives saluted her. Rukia knew that while the servants had nothing against her and only gossiped as was their nature, the other Kuchiki relatives held her in very low regard due to the fact that she had been adopted into the family from the 78th district of Rukongai, Inuzuri. She didn't really care about that, because she knew that the nobility of a person resided in their soul not in their place or origin…but she was disgusted by the fact that they considered her inferior and did not approve of her, as they hadn't approved of her sister Hisana in the past.

Their opinion may not have mattered much to her, but she considered her brother's opinion of utmost importance, and although she knew she was always falling beneath his expectations, she was hoping that one day she would really make him proud. Despite his cold demeanor, and even though that morning in the day with the English test she had thought herself that the Kuchiki Mansion was cold and that Byakuya was not much in terms of company (and she had thought that many times, not just on that particular day), she knew her brother cared about her. He had proved it repeatedly by constantly saving her life when she was in trouble and Ichigo was caught in a different fight and couldn't come to her rescue. Hell, he had proved it ever since he took her in despite the Kuchiki clan's protests, even though it had been on Hisana's reaquest.

Rukia also knew Byakuya was a good man, and that her sister's death had changed him, making him even more reluctant to show his feelings than he already was before. She cared about him a lot, but it was difficult to keep her warm feelings towards him in mind when he was acting so indifferent and detached all the time. With this train of thought she approached his study, knowing that he had already sensed her coming.

When she was in front of the fusuma* that led to his study, she announced her presence and when she heard her brother's swift approval, she entered the room. Byakuya was sitting at his desk, completing some paperwork. Rukia patiently waited in silence for him to finish writing on the current page, and when he did so, he put everything away and gave her his undivided attention. His intense, scrutinizing gaze was making her nervous, but she knew she must not show it lest it should be considered a sign of weakness.

"What is it, Rukia?" he asked.

"Nii-sama*, I have come to see you because I have reason to believe something strange is happening in Soul Society, something that will affect the living world and Karakura Town. As I was assigned to watch over that town, I must find out what is going on in order to prevent any possible threats." Rukia hoped she had phrased everything well, as she knew her brother wanted no non-sense or extra information.

"What is it that you believe is happening here and what are your reasons for believing so?" he answered without any hint or surprise or interest in his steady voice.

"I have heard some unconfirmed rumors that Kurotsuchi-taichou is testing some new invention in the real world." Rukia mentally flinched from the words 'unconfirmed rumors' which were surely not going to give her any credibility or convince Byakuya that he should find out about that, but she knew that it was better to tell him the exact situation and the exact degree of certainty there was to what she was saying, otherwise it would be worse.

"I do not know what this invention is, but ten days ago, my denreishinki signeled a hollow alert and at the same time I felt a strange and powerful reiatsu appear in Karakura town. They both vanished almost immediatly after they appeared, but I am fairly sure that the hollow alert disappeared first. Then, earlier today, the same happened, only that this time there were two strange reiatsu that I felt, and in a short time, two more appeared. All four were gone fast, but the hollow alert disappeared first this time too. I do not know what this means, but I cannot ignore the possibility that Kurotsuchi-taichou has created something that could become a threat to Karakura town." Rukia took a deep breath to steady her voice and then continued determinedly. "I wanted to ask you if you knew anything about what is going on in the 12th division."

Byakuya was silent for a short while, taking in all the information, and then he answered. "I have heard that Kurotsuchi is working on a way of reducing the number of casualties in a war by means of creating a sort of _weapon_. I don't have any other information for the moment" he said briskly.

Rukia nodded and waited. She knew she didn't have to ask her brother whether he is willing to find out more about this issue…he would volunteer the answer soon enough, that much she knew about him.

And as she expected, he continued: "I consider this matter of sufficient importance as to inquire further about it. I shall let you know of any relevant information I come across in due time."

"Domo arigatou gozaimasu*, Nii-sama" Rukia said with a slight bow, taking her leave, not wanting to take more of her brother's time than she already had. She was very grateful that he had agreed to help her on this at all, as she couldn't hope to find anything by herself – after all, regardless of her Kuchiki name, she didn't have any extra influence in Seireitei* compared to other shinigami. However, the low possibility of finding anything on her own did not mean she wasn't going to try. She was determined to find out what was going on and she had no time to waste: Ichigo had warned her not to take too long…though the thought of him coming after her wasn't all that appalling. Not appalling at all actually.

Realizing what she was thinking, Rukia shook her head hoping to shake the thoughts out too, and headed towards her room where she would sleep – hopefully without any nightmares – and in the morning she'll start her own search. She promised herself she will focus on that search with all her might, and not allow treacherous thoughts to linger in her mind. When she will not be busy searching, then and only then will she allow herself to analyze her rebel thoughts to try to put some meaning into them.

*****

Byakuya watched Rukia leave and only when she could no longer hear her lights steps on the wooden floor did he allow a small, almost inaudible sigh escape his lips. Ever since she had left for the real world he had been worried about her, and had even resorted to asking one of his seated officers who was particularly good at hiding his reiatsu to go check on her regularly to make sure she was all right.

The reports he had received did not set his mind at ease. She was not sleeping well, frequently going out for walks outside in the middle of the night. She seemed troubled, worried, and stressed and that did not sit well with his conscience, especially when she looked somewhat worn-out. He had promised his wife Hisana that he will take care of her baby sister, and it looked like he wasn't doing a very good job.

He could easily guess what was troubling Rukia. She was still marked by the Winter War and she was probably reluctant to dare hope that peaceful times were at hand. And now, with what she had told him, he was beginning to feel the same way. But he was not surprised; he had never believed in the first place that the peace would last for long. Life was rarely that convenient.

So now in addition to his worries for his sister, he also had to carefully analyze what she had told him and to find out more in order to determine whether there really was a threat or Kurotsuchi was just playing his sadistic little games again. He decided that it was too late a time for paying visits to the ones who might hold the answers he was seeking regarding the incidents Rukia mentioned, so he decided to stay put and let his mind wander towards his sister, in order to find a solution to settle his worries.

Every time he looked at Rukia, he couldn't stop seeing Hisana in her: the two were too much alike from a physical point of view. Well, Rukia was younger and she was still looking more like a girl rather than a woman, but she had the same raven hair, the same violet-blue eyes, the same skin, the same facial features. He was in pain every time he looked at Rukia, as his longing for Hisana burned stronger whenever he was in the presence of his little sister.

Fortunately, Rukia did not resemble Hisana in personality. While her sister had been quiet, gentle, ladylike and tragically sickly, Rukia was stronger, more of a rebel, and outspoken despite her attempts to "act like a Kuchiki". There was almost nothing ladylike about Rukia, and he could tell that only from her interactions with the Kurosaki boy or his lieutenant, Abarai Renji. But despite her wild temper, she could act ladylike when she wanted. The education she had received as part of the Kuchiki clan had borne fruit and she could be graceful and polite on any social occasion if necessary. But she simply preferred to let her wild side show unless forced to do otherwise.

She also had a natural grace about her, he couldn't deny that…It could be seen in her movements sometimes, and even in the way she fought. Her zanpakutou, Sode no Shirayuki*, was considered the most beautiful one in all of Soul Society and it was well known that a zanpakutou reflected its owner's soul. Byakuya was well aware that Rukia had a beautiful, innocent soul and he regretted deeply the horrors she had lived through that had caused her nightmares. He wanted so much to protect her from anything that could upset her, but she wasn't a fragile flower who would gratefully stay hidden and protected in a glass house. She wanted to be in the middle of things, to fight for what she believed in alongside those she cared about.

So all he could do was to allow Rukia her freedom while making sure that she was as safe as possible. He knew she was intimidated by him, well, as intimidated as a strong girl like her could get, and he knew that she had moments when she doubted that he cared for her, but he did care, a lot. However, he had always been on the introverted side, and the education he had received had deeply enrooted him with the instinct to hide rather than show his feelings and he had become at expert at it in no time at all. He was such a natural for it that even his calm expression seemed carved in stone and ice on his face…there was no flicker of emotion there.

He simply hoped that his actions would speak for him and let Rukia know that he cared, as Byakuya had always believed that words meant little while actions meant a lot. So he would continue to watch over Rukia and protect her as much as he could, and hope that her worries would be relieved. In order to ease her mind, he would definitely find out the answers regarding Kurotsuchi and his experiments.

*****

Rukia woke up late in the morning to the sound of birds chirping and the image of sun rays filtering through her window. She stretched contentedly, realizing that for once she had slept the whole night without so much as a single nightmare. As that crossed her mind, she frowned, wondering why she was not more anxious for Ichigo now that she wasn't in Karakura town anymore while he was still there. That thought alone should have kept her up all night…but then she realized that while being by Ichigo's side she felt _responsible_ for him; it was her instinctual, emotional response to anything that might threaten him. When she wasn't by his side however, her rational mind rather than her emotions took over and she realized that Ichigo had great spiritual power and was a very strong shinigami, and he could probably take care of himself better than she could take care of him.

She _trusted_ Ichigo, so now, as she was lying on her futon*, she was sure that whatever might come his way, he will deal with it and live to tell her the story. She remembered that a long time ago, when she had only recently met Ichigo, he had gone to face the Grand Fisher, the hollow who had killed his mother, in a battle for pride in which she could not interfere. Rukia had warned him not to die back then and he was surely aware that she was still expecting him to live on. She smiled, setting her worries about Ichigo aside for a while…

Well, she set her worries over his safety aside, but she had other thoughts about him that needed analysis. Lately she had had very intense feelings about him. She could no longer think of him as only her best friend. If she were to be honest with herself, Renji fitted that description better; Ichigo was much more. Not only did she trust him with her life, but she felt like all her battles should be fought by his side. They were partners, companions….they were even more than that.

She remembered how she had tried to explain his waking up in the middle of the night because of her as a consequence of them being so attuned to one another, and how she had noticed that they were also on the same wave length with their minds. That was it, they were _attuned_, and they were…well, Rukia guessed there was no better word to describe it…soul mates. This epiphany made her gasp and her eyes became even larger than they usually were. For a few moments she could not think of anything, her mind was blank with the shock.

But then some heavy running steps who seemed to be headed in her direction woke her up from her catatonic state, and Rukia had only seconds to recollect herself somewhat and raise her upper body from the futon before Renji came barging into her room, a delighted look on his face.

"Rukia!" he exclaimed coming next to her futon. "You're back!!!"

Rukia's fist promptly connected with his stomach and Renji let out a long whoosh of air and fell to his knees. "_Baka_*, I've been gone for longer periods of time before, no need to overreact" she muttered under her breath. "And what in the world are you doing running around the mansion, and entering my chamber so informally?!? Nii-sama will have your head for this!" she exclaimed, utter unbelief written all over her face. She knew Renji was impulsive and tended to act without thinking first most of the times, but this was too much, even though he was Byakuya's lieutenant.

"Kuchiki-taichou won't say anything about this as he has already left the mansion" Renji said with a grin, while massaging his stomach. "He has already stopped by the 6th division headquarters and told me you were back, after which he left, leaving me with a lot of paperwork to sort through". Then, not wanting to miss a chance to make a stinging remark about his otherwise perfect captain, he added "Actually, what he did was to 'inform me of your return'".

Rukia got to her feet and threw Renji a half annoyed, half amused look. "If you think the servants won't report your unbecoming behavior, you are sadly mistaken. And if Nii-sama left you paperwork to sort through, shouldn't you be at your desk, doing that? Two faults in the same day, he won't take it lightly" she added for good measure. She was completely rested and full of energy and she had missed teasing Renji. Actually, she had missed him, period. After all, he was her best friend alongside Ichigo.

"Well, I don't much care about what the servants tell the captain, as I'm not a Kuchiki and therefore I can't be expected to act the part" he said, but there was a hint of doubt in his words. He knew better than most how strict and uptight Byakuya could be. "As for the work he gave me, I think he wouldn't have told me you're back unless he wanted me to come see you…or at least expect me to do so. Besides, I'll get it all done later on today" he said with a bit more confidence.

"Well, since you're here and you don't seem inclined to leave any time soon", Rukia said with a grin, "I might as well invite you to breakfast. Go and wait for me in the main hall while I get changed and I'll join you in a minute".

"This sure is rare, me being invited to have breakfast in the great Kuchiki Manor…oh wait, actually, it's a first" he said mimicking shock. "Thanks! I'll take you up on it as this is too big an opportunity to miss. Not to mention I didn't get the chance to have breakfast before heading to the 6th division headquarters, the captain has given me lots of work to do lately and if I don't come early, I don't get to finish" he admitted, sulking.

"Don't complain, you're getting free exclusivist breakfast this morning so out with you now, let me change!" Rukia said, pushing Renji out the door. She slid the fusuma closed and quickly undressed and then she put on her shinigami robe. Despite her apparent displeasure with Renji's rash behavior she was actually very happy to see him and she couldn't wait to tell him all about the suspicious events in Karakura Town. She was also dying to find out what else had happened in Soul Society while she was gone. It was going to be an interesting morning.

*****

"I see you had no trouble in making the servants give you breakfast" Rukia observed when she joined Renji.

"Well, they weren't happy about it, but they figured I wouldn't be lying about something as important as having been invited to have breakfast in such a prestigious mansion." Renji grinned, his face full of steamed rice.

"Right. Well, help yourself with anything you like and I'll do the talking for now" Rukia said while pouring tea for herself and for Renji. "But when you're done, I expect you to fill me in with everything that's been happening around here while I was gone, OK?" she asked pointedly, as her read headed friend seemed to have given up on his enthusiasm for seeing her in favor of the enthusiasm for eating as much as possible of the exquisite food on the table.

"Sure", Renji managed to agree between two mouthfuls of food.

"_Yoshi!_ * Where to start? Let's see, everything's just how you know it in Karakura Town, and fortunately there was no hollow trouble since I was assigned there. However, the past two weeks proved to be quite intriguing…" Rukia proceeded to tell Renji all about the strange hollow alerts and reiatsu in an enthusiastic tone to catch his interest, as his lack of willingness to sort paperwork made her think that he would join her in her search for answers. She kept on telling him about the whole situation while her friend nodded, but seemed to care more about the food than her story.

However, when Rukia finished talking, Renji set his bowl down, wiped his mouth with a napkin and after taking a few gulps of tea, he finally spoke. "You're right, something's definitely wrong there and I bet Kurotsuchi-taichou is behind it all. I'd definitely like to come with you to investigate the situation".

Rukia hid her satisfaction quickly by teasing her friend again. "Oh? I thought you had paperwork to do…?" But then she quickly added: "I could use some help with this though, so you're welcome to join me, however not before giving me an update on the situation in Soul Society".

"Okay, but this time it's your time to eat while you listen, you look like you could use some good food…and more sleep for that matter". While Rukia didn't appreciate people lecturing her, the concern in Renji's voice was obvious so she let that one slip. She started eating just as her friend started talking.

"To say this with your words, where to start? You left to the real world so soon after the war ended, I have to some serious remembering. The most important news would be the promotions, I suppose. The war affected us all, and frankly, most of the seated officers in the Gotei 13 were unhappy with themselves and their ability to fight, as revealed by it. So everyone started to train like crazy and many have improved so much, but the best improvement was in Kira, Momo and Shuuhei. I can't even begin to understand how they felt to be betrayed by their captains, but though it was not their fault that things happened the way they did, these three set their minds to becoming more powerful and they succeeded. All three have achieved bankai* and they've all been promoted to captains of their respective divisions!"

Renji was clearly happy for his friends, and Rukia was feeling the same. Those three deserved becoming captains as they were all very reliable and committed people, no matter that there were some who thought otherwise. However, Rukia was amazed that the war had provoked such determination in so many shinigami. She hated to find positive aspects about the war, but it seemed like she had no choice. She only wished all of them had found their resolve without this tragic catalysis.

"Of course," Renji continued, "now they lack lieutenants because they're still considering whether to promote with one seat all seated officers, and choose among the unseated officers a shinigami to become the last seated one. It's sort of crazy really, and I can't be too happy it's not me trying to make these decisions".

Rukia thought she heard a faint trace of bitterness in his voice. She wondered whether Renji was envious of his friends, and she would not blame him if he was. He had achieved bankai long before them, so maybe he had expected a promotion himself. And she couldn't see why no one had proposed him for captain before. Her brother may have some issues with his lieutenant regarding Renji's conduct and other small aspects, but he surely appreciated him and he must have thought of Renji when the problem of finding captain for the 3rd, 5th and 9th division was discussed. So what had happened?

For some reason, she was reluctant to ask him about that. Her keen intuition was telling her that it was Renji's wish to remain in the 6th division as a lieutenant for the moment. She was sure that his decision was somehow related to Byakuya and to herself, but after just having had her epiphany about Ichigo, she didn't feel ready to have one about Renji also. She made a mental note to herself to think about this after the whole business with the 12th division was settled.

Renji changed the subject and told her other news, of less importance, and when she finished breakfast they both left the mansion in order to start their search for answers.

* * *

*fusuma are the sliding doors inside a Japanese home that separate rooms from other rooms and hallways.

*Nii-sama is a respectful way of addressing one's brother.

*Dōmo arigatou gozaimasu means "thank you very much" (very polite form).

*Seireitei means Court of Pure Souls.

*Sode no Shirayuki translates as Sleeve of the White Snow

*futon refers to the traditional style of Japanese bedding consisting of padded mattresses and quilts pliable enough to be folded and stored away during the day.

*baka is Japanese for fool, idiot, stupid.

*expression of excitement or enthusiasm, equivalent to saying "all right!" or "okay!" in English

*bankai translates as final release and it refers to the second and final upgraded form of a zanpakutou

* * *

**Author's Note: **So, what do you think? I hope you liked this chapter, but even if you didn't, you can tell me about it, I welcome all reviews, good or bad! Oh, and let me tell you the title of the next chapter. It's "Investigating the 12th Division". Thanks for reading my story and have a wonderful day! Bye for now!


	5. Investigating the 12th Division

**Author's Note:**Hi! First of all, I want to thank everyone who has reviewed my story, added it among his/her favorites or put it on alert! I really appreciate all the support.

Secondly, I am sorry that that it took me a bit longer to upload this chapter than usual, but I have reasons for that. First, this is the longest chapter so far, and it took me a while to give it a final form ;) Then, I has some stuff happening in my personal life which kept me away from the place I'm usually at, which is my laptop :))

And thirdly, which is actually more of a forewarning than a reason, I am afraid that as the story gets more complicated, and as October draws near, it will be a longer period of time before I can post new chapters…that is, because I start my master classes in October…and I'm the Ishida type when it comes to studying (well, actually I can also say the Ichigo or Rukia or even Orihime or Chado type, as they were all pretty good at school), meaning I like to keep close to the top :P

But that doesn't mean I'll neglect writing, which is very important for me…I'm just asking for understanding if from now on updates will be somewhat slower to come. Oh, one last thing before I forget: I apologize for keeping Ichigo out of the story in the last chapter, and I'm afraid I'll keep him out this chapter as well, but there will be plenty of Ichigo-loving from the 6th chapter on…Sorry, but this chapter was long enough as it was, I simply couldn't fit Ichigo anywhere :( But fear not, after this, he won't be absent anymore!

Thanks again for reading this story and…enjoy.

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own Bleach, why oh why?

* * *

**Chapter 5 Investigating the 12****th**** Division**

Byakuya was slowly heading towards the 1st division headquarters, the place where he was most likely to find out what was going on in Kurotsuchi's lab. While he made his way over there, he thought back at his lieutenant and his reactions which were so easy to read. Lately, Renji had been very punctual and committed to his work, though Byakuya was sure it was not in his nature to be so, but rather he had forced himself in order to prove him his worth. So this morning there was only a hint of a grimace on his face when Byakuya gave him the stack of papers he had finished completing the previous day for him to sort through.

Byakuya knew of his lieutenant's feelings for his sisters, they were as clear as daylight…they had been clear for him ever since that day, long ago, when he had told Rukia that he wanted to adopt her into the Kuchiki clan and shortly after she had agreed, Renji had come barging through the doors screaming something enthusiastically to Rukia…until what he saw in the room cut him off completely. Byakuya didn't have anything against Renji's feelings for Rukia as long as he didn't upset her in any way, because he doubted she felt the same about him. He was convinced Rukia cared a lot about Renji, but it only went as far as an existence-long friendship. Now with the Kurosaki boy things were different he thought, wincing in his head. But now was not the best time to analyze that particular relationship.

He wanted to keep his thoughts on Renji, because he had to decide whether he could trust him – besides Kurosaki, who had already taken the job unto himself without asking for permission, the arrogant brat – with his sister's life. Regardless of what he was going to find out about the 12th division, he trusted Rukia's fine intuition so if she said something was suspicious and maybe dangerous, then it was so. His intuition was also extremely keen, and he had the same feeling only from the sound of Kurotsuchi playing in his lab and testing his horrid experiments in the real world. So he had to send someone to watch over Rukia. The shinigami who had been observing her will not do, he was not among the best of fighters.

So no matter how he looked at it, his lieutenant seemed to be the best choice. Despite the fact that he was sure Renji had run to Rukia the moment Byakuya had left the 6th division headquarters, stack of papers to sort through forgotten, he trusted Renji. Actually, it may have been because of Renji's feeling for Rukia that Byakuya was somewhat confident in leaving her in his care. He also knew that Renji was a good fighter and a good man, but if his lieutenant didn't care as much for Rukia as he did, he probably wouldn't have done it. In an ideal situation, he would have wanted to look after his little sister himself, but he was a captain and couldn't abandon his duties easily. So he would send Renji to the real world with Rukia, after he gave them whatever information he could gather.

He didn't have to stop in front of the 1st division headquarters, everyone instinctively moved out of his way, letting him through and he was soon face to face with Sasakibe-fukutaichou.

"Kuchiki-taichou, what brings you here?" the lieutenant said, bowing respectfully.

"Sasakibe-san, I am seeking some information and I believe you will be able to provide it to me." Byakuya said, inclining his head only so little. "I have heard that the 12th division is testing a new project in the real world and it has caused worry to those who are assigned to watch over things there. I would like to know exactly what Kurotsuchi is working on".

"Not many know about this and I would like to ask you to tell only those who need to know about this", Choujirou said. Byakuya nodded and the lieutenant continued. "Yamamoto-sama prefers secrecy to be kept as much as possible due to the fact that the project the 12th division is working on is a rather delicate subject. The project is considerably risky so until it's confirmed that there's no danger and that everything functions properly, details should be withhold from Soul Society and the real world".

Choujirou realized he was insisting too much on secrecy with a man whose middle name was 'reveal nothing', so he quickly recollected himself and went straight to the point. "Because the war had such devastating consequences with regards to the ones who were killed or injured, Kurotsuchi-san is trying to find a way to minimize casualties in case of war. He is working on some prototypes of shinigami-like artificial soldiers and he has indeed tested them in the real world. For the moment the results are encouraging but I am afraid I do not know any other details. Kurotsuchi-san is reporting directly to Yamamoto-sama".

"Naruhodo*" Byakuya said, analyzing what he had just heard. "Thank you for your time, Sasakibe-san. I shall take my leave now." As he left the first division headquarters, Byakuya was thinking that though he could understand the usefulness of such soldiers, the project was much too risky should anything go wrong.

*****

Rukia and Renji had just left the Kuchiki Mansion and they weren't exactly sure where to begin their search. They had already agreed that going straight to the 12th division to ask questions was not a good idea, since Soi Fon who was a captain had been denied the information. Neither could they go ask Yamamoto, though they were hoping Byakuya would do that. But they couldn't place all their bets on that, they had to try to find out something on their own.

"Ne, Rukia" Renji said with sudden inspiration, "how about we pay a visit to some of our recently promoted friends? They're captains now, they might actually know something, and even if they don't, I'm sure you won't get to see them again soon. I assume" he said somewhat begrudgingly, "that you are planning to return to the real world as soon as possible, right?"

"Yes, that is true" Rukia confirmed. "Don't forget, that is my current assignment and I've pretty much deserted the place I was supposed to watch so you can imagine I want to go back".

"Oh, so your wish to return has nothing to do with an orange headed idiot?" Renji just had to ask, even if the answer could have been painful to him. He supposed it was better to know what he was dealing with, rather than pretend there was nothing going on between Rukia and Ichigo.

"Well, it does have something to do actually" Rukia said with a small smile, missing Renji's intake of breath at her blunt admission. "He said he's coming after me if I take too long" she explained, but that only made Renji frown. _So things are that close between them, huh?_ he thought. Regardless, he was not going to give up hope. He had worked hard to prove his worth and he was willing to work even harder…heck, he was willing to do anything just to win her heart. So he decided to not let any negative thought ruin this fine day that he was going to spend with Rukia.

"Let's go to the 3rd division first!" Renji said and they both shunpo-ed to their destination.

When they entered the headquarters, they were somewhat shocked by what they saw: Kira Izuru, the new captain of the division was sitting at a table with Matsumoto Rangiku and there were many empty bottles of sake on the table between them. They were both currently engaged with an almost empty bottle and they wore similar pathetic expressions on their faces.

Rukia was shocked, and Renji was definitely surprised too but he got over it and proceeded to try to wrestle the bottle out of Kira's hand. "What do you think you're doing so freakin' early in the morning?!?" he shouted. Both Kira and Matsumoto winced at the sound, and they grumbled while Renji took their bottles and threw them away. Rukia was still too shocked to even move from the spot.

"Oi, Renji, isn't it clear we're having a driiinking party?" Matsumoto said in a grumpy voice. "So what are you doing, crashing it and yelling our heads off? Give our bottles baaack and take one yerselffff, we're generoooooooous" she said, slurring the words.

"Rukia, would you mind bringing me a bucket of water, please?" Renji asked in a low voice so that his words would not be heard by the two at the table.

"In a second", Rukia said, snapping out of her shock and going out the door as fast as lightning. This was a situation she definitely wasn't comfortable with so the sooner they woke up those two, the better.

She returned with the bucket just as Renji was asking Kira and Matsumoto what had brought this on, without any success in getting an answer from either of the two. Then Matsumoto said: "You seeeee, I waaaaaas just remeeeembering Gin, and the way he diiiiied in the war". Rukia stopped dead in her tracks. She had always been a bit afraid of Ichimaru Gin, her intuition telling her there was something very wrong with the former captain of the 3rd division, besides his strange smile and his closed eyes. When he had turned out to be a traitor, hand in hand with Aizen, she hadn't been surprised. But she didn't know much about him, and it seemed like Matsumoto and him had history…

"And my caaaaptain didn't caaaare about my proooooblems, he said I driiiiink too muuuch and that he'd raaather spend time with his giiiiiiiirlfriend than seeeee meee so patheeetic", Matsumoto continued.

Both Renji and Rukia sweat dropped….Hitsugaya Toshirou had never been the one to comfort people and he took no non-sense from anyone but sometimes he could be just a tiny bit insensitive. Well, actually that was just his way to try to tell people to toughen up and move on with their lives, but still…Rukia was also curious about who this girlfriend could be. She couldn't imagine the cold genius kid having a girlfriend. But the answer didn't tarry in presenting itself. Kira took it from there, as Matsumoto had collapsed on the table, half sobbing, half snoring.

"So she came here with the sake and told me about her problems". Kira seemed to have less difficulty forming words, but it was to be expected as he had started drinking later than Matsumoto. Both Renji and Rukia were wondering, however, what could have made Kira start drinking in the first place after seeing what state Matsumoto was in. Again, the answer came without them having to ask any questions. Kira continued: "But then she also complained how Hitsugaya wouldn't listen to her because he preferred to spend his time with Momo…" and he broke off, laying his head down on the table.

_Ah,_ both Rukia and Renji thought. That explained everything. There were many rumors flying around Seireitei just as there were in the real world and it has been long speculated about the relationship between Hitsugaya Toshirou and Hinamori Momo. They had known each other ever since before either of them had entered the Shinigami Academy and it seems like they actually had feelings for each other. Rukia thought that this was another one of those positive consequences of the war: people were truly starting to value their dear ones and it was easier for them to acknowledge their feelings for each other.

But Kira having feelings for Hinamori was something rather unexpected. Rukia knew from Renji that he had once been in the 5th division with both Kira and Hinamori and they had fought many battles together, united by a close friendship. Kira's feelings towards Hinamori seemed to have evolved, though. That was unfortunate…Rukia firmly believed that every soul had a soul mate somewhere out there, but a third one in the equation would only cause pain for all those involved. So she could only hope that the right woman would come for Kira. She also hoped Matsumoto would find someone to comfort her. Both of them deserved better than this.

Kira's loud snore stopped her train of thought and she noticed Renji had draped blankets on both Kira and Matsumoto. He turned to her and said: "Gomen*, Rukia, it seems like that bucket of water won't be needed after all. I suggest we leave these two to sleep it off and hope they'll feel better once they wake up. In any case, I seriously doubt they might give us any information regarding the 12th division any time soon".

Rukia put the bucket of water away and then asked Renji: "So what now?"

"Etto….I guess we should go to the 5th division and speak to the other parties involved, Momo and Hitsugaya. I suppose we'll find a different atmosphere there. Plus Hitsugaya might actually hold some information for us; he's the serious type and likes to know what's going on around him".

They shunpo-ed together and in no time at all they were entering the 5th division headquarters. It didn't get any better in terms of shock as a rather surprising image was before their eyes: Hinamori Momo was sitting _on_ her new desk, tracing her fingers through Histugaya's white hair while the said captain was lying on her desk, with his head in her lap. Momo was listening to Hitsugaya who was telling her something that seemed to hang heavily on his heart and she was murmuring soothing words to him. The scene was so intimate that both Renji and Rukia froze, blushed madly and were at a loss about what to do.

_Doushiyou_*, Rukia thought, _if either I or Renji make a sound now we'll surely be noticed and we'll ruin their moment, not to mention we'll embarrass them and ourselves._ She then remembered that Renji and her were already embarrassed, so that was one less worry. The problem was that regardless of whether they would go forward or try to back out, they would be noticed…not even shunpo might do the trick at this point. Hinamori and Hitsugaya might not have heard them come in, as wrapped up in their own world as they were, but they wouldn't get away a second time, that was certain.

Apparently Renji was thinking the same thing as he looked at her and pointed his head towards the couple. Rukia understood: since they couldn't get away unnoticed, they might as well do what they had come to do, that is ask questions about the 12th division and the mysterious tests. She nodded back, and Renji cleared his throat very self-consciously.

Hitsugaya's eyes snapped towards them and he practically froze, even without the help of his ice type zanpakutou. Hinamori, on the other hand, was still too preoccupied to run her fingers through his hair to notice their visitors or the fact that they were quite as frozen in place as the captain on her desk. She did notice, however, that Shiro-chan (her nickname for Hitsugaya) had focused on something else.

"What is it, Toshirou?" she asked. Then her eyes followed the direction of his gaze and she noticed Rukia and Renji trying not to stare too hard at her and her boyfriend. At the same time, she and Hitsugaya jumped off the desk, both blushing intensely. Now there were four equally frozen persons in the office and the same number of blushing faces.

Seeing as they were in the 5th division headquarters, Momo recollected herself first, and tried to play the graceful host, even though it was a bit too late for that. "Ah, ohayo Renji-kun, Kuchiki-san!" she straightened her bun, for something to do with her hands, as her brown eyes darted nervously from one face to another.

"Ohayo, Momo-chan, Hitsugaya-taichou" Renji said quickly, hoping that greetings would melt the ice.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Hinamori-taichou, Hitsugaya-taichou" Rukia added.

"Abarai, Kuchiki", Hitsugaya acknowledged the greetings though his teal colored eyes remained cold. "What are you doing here?" His embarrassment made him act a bit more hostile than his usual reserved but polite self. He didn't like to be found in such a vulnerable position by anyone. He stepped away from Momo, who had gone behind her desk and sat down in an attempt to make everything look more formal.

"We came to speak with Momo-chan about something important" Renji answered evenly, hoping that the seriousness of the subject they had come to talk about would make the white-headed captain understand that their visit was justified. "Actually, we would also like to ask you about it, Hitsugaya-taichou" he continued, not wanting to provoke Hitsugaya by making him feel like he wasn't needed.

"Ah so*? What do you want to ask us then?" Hitsugaya said, still straight to the point, obviously trying to get rid of the two unwanted visitors as soon as possible.

Rukia felt it was her time to talk and she told them the story, not trusting Renji to keep up the formal, polite tone if he were to retell it himself. After all, Hinamori was a very good friend of his, and he was bound to slip into the informal sooner or later. As she talked, both captains listened attentively, Hitsugaya intrigued despite of himself.

When Rukia finished the story, Renji asked: "Do you happen to know anything about what Kurotsuchi-taichou might be working on in his lab?"

"I know nothing certain about that, Abarai", Hitsugaya answered. "Many gossip about it but I do not listen to such talk. I can't help you". He then turned to Hinamori and muttered in a low tone: "I'll see you later". Then he was out the door and gone before anyone could even blink.

"Gomen, Renji-kun, I don't know anything for sure either", Momo said, more relaxed now that Toshirou had left, taking his air of hostility with him. She knew that the way he had reacted was his defense mechanism, but she hoped he could loosen up a bit and open up to people. She would have time to work on that with him later on. "I have heard the rumors Toshirou mentioned though, and there are many speculations", she continued. "Some say that he's building a powerful weapon that will be able to destroy any threat that might ever endanger Soul Society or the real world. Others say that he's putting together an army of strange new creations of his. I don't know which of these is closer to the truth nor which is worse."

"You're right, Momo-chan", Renji nodded gloomily, "Either option sounds too dangerous for the worlds' well-being. Did no one learn the lesson from the winter war? The Soukyoku*, the Houkgyoku*, did they bring any good at all? No! So why create even more weapons or armies or whatever it is the 12th division is doing? We should just rely on our own strength!"

Both Rukia and Hinamori nodded their agreement, but it was not up to them whether more weapons of destruction were to be created. And truth be told, they couldn't exactly blame Kurotsuchi for trying to find a way to reduce the number of casualties in a war. He was also a scientist, albeit a mad one, so he can't be expected to stop inventing things. To change the subject and lighten the mood, Renji decided to tease Momo about her grumpy boyfriend.

"Well, enough about that. How about you tell us what's going on with your _boyfriend_, Momo-chan?" he asked with a grin. As was his intention, Hinamori blushed, struggled to form words, but nothing really came out.

Rukia placed a well-aimed elbow in Renji's stomach for embarrassing the girl and tried to move over the weird moment. "Renji, don't go asking things like that out of the blue", she admonished. "Hitsugaya-taichou seemed really upset; you don't have to make things worse".

"Oh, it's OK, Kuchiki-san", Hinamori said, pulling her thoughts together. "Actually, Toshirou was not upset with you two, he was worried about Rangiku-san. She was remembering…" Hinamori stumbled over the words, thoughts about the betrayal of her beloved Aizen-sama invading her mind as she was about to say Ichimaru Gin's name, the second traitor. "She was remembering the war, and Toshirou didn't know what to say to make her feel better. He tried to say something, but he was afraid it came out wrong and that he was too tough on her".

Both Rukia and Renji were a bit surprised to hear this, as they had previously thought that Hitsugaya was a bit insensitive. It turned out he wasn't insensitive at all, but just wasn't very good at comforting people.

"That's good to hear, then" Renji said, relief in his voice. "I wouldn't want to make a captain mad at me, would I? We'll let you be then, Momo-chan. We have to go and try to find out more about what's going on at the 12th division."

"I'm very sorry for interrupting earlier", Rukia added.

"No problem, Kuchiki-san", Hinamori said with a smile. "Good luck with your investigation, I hope everything will turn out OK."

"Sure thing, thanks, Momo-chan! See ya later!" Renji said, heading towards the doors.

"Sayonara*, Hinamori-san", Rukia said, and she left with Renji.

"That was interesting", Renji commented when they were out the doors, "though not very useful for our quest. The way things are going, I don't see us getting any luckier by visiting Shuuhei, but it's worth a shot. So let's head to the 9th division now".

Rukia completely agreed with her tattooed friend, and she was beginning to think they would either have to storm their way through the 12th division to find some answers or rely on Byakuya to give them some information. She really didn't like asking her brother for favors, she didn't want to inconvenience him, nor did she like to make use of the Kuchiki name to get what she wanted, but her brother seemed willingly enough to do so. Rukia was wondering whether Byakuya had really left to find the answers she needed that morning when Renji told her he had only stopped by the 6th division after which he had left again.

There was no time to ponder that possibility though, as they had reached their destination. For the first time that day, they were not shocked by what they saw. Hisagi was training with the officers in his divisions, and they all seemed very focused on what they were doing. Both Renji and Rukia were experienced enough to tell how efficient the training was. Some of the shinigami were fighting alone against a group, some were fighting one on one, and many different tactics were used. It was something worth seeing.

Lost in admiration as they were, Rukia and Renji did not notice when Hisagi spotted them and let his officers train alone so he could come greet them. "Renji, and Kuchiki-san…what brings you here?"

"Hisagi-senpai*", Renji began and then stopped. "Or maybe I should say Hisagi-taichou! I see you're taking your role as a captain seriously, unlike others" he said.

"Others? Ah…I can guess whom you are referring to. I'm afraid Kira is indeed not feeling too well lately, but I am sure he'll do better once he stops accepting drinks from Matsumoto. And Hinamori should do just fine too, if she manages to keep her mind off the prodigy captain" Hisagi said with a smirk. "Well, what with those two behaving the way they do, someone had to save the pride of the new captains, so I'm busy training as you can see. Achieving bankai must be only the beginning, not the end!"

"Right you are, senpai" Renji agreed, admiring Hisagi's spirit. "We won't bother you for long then, seeing as you are so busy, we just wanted to know if you have any information related to the experiments of the 12th divisions. There are rumors that they're testing something dangerous in there and they're testing it in the real world too, and that's not quite right, is it?"

"Oh, _that_!" Hisagi spat out. "Look, I won't deny it, I'm one of the many who don't want anything to do with Kurotsuchi and his 'experiments' so I'm sorry to say I really can't help you. I have heard the rumors, of course, but I'm guessing you know those already. Everyone's keeping an eye on the situation though, don't' worry. It might be all hush-hush but I think it concerns us all if that lunatic is going to create who-knows-what dangerous thing."

"I guess that's the most we can expect in any case, so thank you, senpai. I think we'll head out to the 12th division now, that's the last hope of finding out something more. Goodbye!" Renji said while heading out, Rukia on his tail.

"See you later!" Hisagi called to them, already back among the training shinigami.

*****

Both Rukia and Renji were reluctant to go to the 12th division headquarters, but it was truly their last hope. The day had been a disaster from the information point of view, but they didn't regret the time spent together and their meetings with the other shinigami. They had decided not to use shunpo to get to their destination, thinking that walking might make them look less suspicious and might make it less obvious to others what their destination was.

It did turn out to be a bad choice when they ran into the captain of the 11th division, Zaraki Kenpachi, his small lieutenant Kusajishi Yachiru on his shoulder. Actually, it was Kenpachi and Yachiru who almost ran _them_ over, but they weren't crazy to try to point that out, out loud. They valued their lives, after all.

"Kuchiki!" Kenpachi said grinning, leaning down at Rukia, scaring her out of her wits. She was wondering what she had done to earn the…'honor' of him remembering her name (though a more appropriate word would have been 'horror' in her opinion: the 11th division captain usually only bothered with the names of those whom he wanted to fight). "Just the shinigami I was looking for" Kenpachi continued in a suspicious good mood. "I was hoping to find you sooner, but Yachiru pointed me in the wrong direction for the past few hours" The said lieutenant smiled prettily when she heard herself being mentioned, as if having no sense of direction whatsoever was an achievement rather than an inconvenience. "Aaa...?" Kenpachi exclaimed when she saw that Renji was with her instead of Ichigo. "…Abarai, was it? He's the one you're hanging out with, Kuchiki? What a disappointment, I was hoping Ichigo Kurosaki had finally learned how not to ooze reiatsu and that he was with you". Kenpachi's bells, which he wore at the tips of the spikes in which he styled his hair, had seemed perky a moment ago, but after the news, they seemed dejected.

Renji's face had turned a nice shade of red, this time not out of embarrassment but because of anger: so the 11th division captain was disappointed to see him instead of Ichigo? What was the world coming to? He was a skilled fighter too, and though he hadn't tried those skills against Kenpachi so far – and up until now he had intended never to try them with him – he was sure he could present a good challenge to any shinigami. Though he had tried hard not to pick a fight with this particular captain, Renji was tempted to do so just to prove his worth. It seemed like that was all he ever did these days: prove his worth, and it was kind of getting old.

Rukia was rendered speechless by Kenpachi's little speech, and also by the fact that he seemed to know her name only because of Ichigo. Now she didn't know if to feel relief or insult…but soon she didn't have to choose between the two as Kenpachi continued: "Hmmm….I sense you've been practicing Kuchiki…you seem to have become pretty strong." He grinned, thrilled, while debating: "I wonder if you'd be able to put up a good fight; I think you might just do that…"

"Ano, Zaraki-taichou, I am overwhelmed that you would consider fighting me and I thank you for your kindness" Rukia said, terrified that he might actually provoke her to a duel, "but I assure you that you are overestimating me. I am sure you have better things to do with your time and I'll definitely tell Ichigo that you asked about him." She hoped that would satisfy Kenpachi…if not, she was as good as dead.

"You're probably right, Kuchiki" Kenpachi admitted, much to Rukia's relief. "I might have fought with you had I still been at the level I was before the war, but I've been practicing myself", he said proudly. _Masaka_*_! _Rukia thought. _Don't tell me he has finally learned the name of his zanpakutou?!?_

As if sensing her thoughts, Kenpachi continued: "So desu ne*, not only did I learn the name of my zanpakutou which allowed me to release it into shikai but I have also achieved bankai" he said with an evil grin. "Even Ichigo might not be enough to keep me entertained for 5 minutes at my current level".

Yachiru decided it was time she supported her captain and said: "That's right, Ai no Me-chan, Ichi is the one who should challenge Ken-chan now!" _Ai no Me?!?_ both Rukia and Renji thought, outraged by Yachiru's nickname for Rukia. Then they realized she was referring to her eye color* and they relaxed…that is, until Yachiru went on with her speech. "I also trained with Ken-chan and achieved bankai, wanna see?" she asked prettily.

Rukia and Renji were shocked that such a small thing like the pink haired, red cheeked lieutenant of the 11th division had achieved bankai, but then again, Yachiru always surprised people with her amazing skills that were anything but apparent. "No, that's quite all right, Kusajishi-fukutaichou" Renji was quick to say, "we appreciate your intention but that won't be necessary".

"Really, Irezumi*-chan?" Both Rukia and Renji sweat dropped at Yachiru's obvious nickname for Renji. Kenpachi didn't show any reaction, but he was used to her, seeing how she always rode on his back wherever he went. "Are you sure? Because I really wanted to show it to someone, so far only Ken-chan knows it…but I guess I'll show it to Ichi when he comes around. Tell him I miss him, will you Ai no Me-chan?" Yachiru said.

"Yes, and pass on to Ichigo what I told you about my achieving bankai. He's a coward if he doesn't come to face me, once he knows that." Kenpachi added, with a big grin, in anticipation of the fight to come.

"Sure" Rukia said. She would do anything just to get away from the weird twosome at the head of the 11th division.

"But I feel very unsatisfied, coming all the way here and not having anyone to fight with…and after searching for hours…" Kenpachi was musing. Rukia and Renji looked at each other with equally worried expressions: they didn't like where this was going. "Maybe I should see if you can amuse me for even half a minute Abarai, what do you think?"

Renji was feeling nothing honored for having been invited to a fight with Kenpachi, though he had been tempted to ask for one himself not 10 minutes ago, now he wanted to avoid it at all costs. Kenpachi when he didn't know his zanpakutou's name was terrifying, but Kenpachi who had achieved bankai was beyond anything a mind could conceive. He tried to back out with dignity: "I don't know what to say, Zaraki-taichou…"

"Then let me answer for you, Renji", a chilling voice said, coming on a gust of sakura-scented wind. Rukia allowed herself a small sigh of relief. If her brother was present, there was no chance for Kenpachi to have his way and pick a fight with any of them.

"Taichou!" Renji exclaimed, relief filling his voice too.

"There will not be a fight, Zaraki-_taichou_", Byakuya said, reminding Kenpachi that he was a captain and therefore he should refrain from starting fights. "I would rather my lieutenant be able to sort through the stack of papers that are still untouched", Renji blushed a bit, upset with himself that his captain had caught him with his work undone, "as for a fight with my sister, it is unconceivable and therefore completely out of the question. I need to have a word with them, so if you'll excuse us…" he said, signaling to Rukia and Renji that they should follow him.

"Bye bye, Bya-kun!" Yachiru said, delighted to have seen Byakuya. "Bye bye Ai no Me-chan, Irezumi-chan!!! Don't forget to tell Ichi to come visit!!!"

Rukia winced at the thought that her righteous and uptight brother should hear the nickname Yachiru had given her, but considering that she was calling Byakuya 'Bya-kun', she supposed it could have been worse. Rukia had noticed Yachiru had sort of a crush on her brother and it amused her to no ends to see how irritated Byakuya was because of that. Of course, she never let her amusement be seen, lest her brother should be annoyed with her too, but she just couldn't stop laughing inside her mind at the thought that her brother had taken to carrying buns with him just in case he ran into Yachiru and she became too exasperating for him. Regardless of how it appeared to be, the gesture hinted there was a lot of kindness in Byakuya's soul: everyone knew Yachiru had a very sweet tooth.

As she started following Byakuya she could hear Kenpachi mutter 'joy killer', and she was sure that if _she_ heard that, her brother had heard it too. She wondered whether Kenpachi was trying to pick a fight with Byakuya since he couldn't fight Rukia or Renji. That would make sense since her brother was one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful shinigami in all Seireitei.

When they were out of ear's reach from Kenpachi and Yachiru, Byakuya stopped Rukia and Renji and told them what he had found out about Kurotsuchi's experiments. Then he added: "Although I do not have complete information, I consider these soldiers dangerous should they be out of control and escape to the real world. In fact, I believe they may be dangerous enough to justify the assignment of another shinigami to Karakura Town, since that place attracts every possible threat like a magnet".

"Nii-sama!" Rukia dared interrupt her brother. "I know things might become dangerous, but I am capable of doing my duty, please do not doubt me. There is no need for another shinigami to be sent there!" She felt hurt to know Byakuya didn't trust her to do her job. She wondered if he too felt the increase of her shinigami powers, and she decided he did, if Kenpachi had felt it. But then why didn't he trust her with this?

"I will hear none of that, Rukia" Byakuya said, ignoring her protests. "Renji, as of now you are assigned to assist Rukia in watching over Karakura Town. You are to remain there until further orders, understood?"

"Yes, taichou!" Renji said promptly, thrilled with the prospect of going to the real world where he could be by Rukia's side, and also where he could argue and spar with Ichigo.

"But, Nii-sama…", Rukia tried to argue…

Byakuya ignored her and opened the Kuchiki Senkai Gate. "You are to leave immediately. Renji, I expect you back periodically to report news. Goodbye, then."

Rukia knew her battle was lost before it was even started, so she swallowed the knot in her throat. "Goodbye, Nii-sama". She bowed and then followed the hell butterfly through the gate.

When she was out of sight, Byakuya told Renji: "Make sure she's safe". Renji knew immediately that his captain had assigned him to assist Rukia out of concern for her safety, not because he didn't trust her to do her duties. He only wished Rukia had realized that too; he had seen the hurt look on her face when Byakuya had mentioned he was assigning her an "assistant".

"Of course, taichou. Sayonara!" and Renji also disappeared through the gate, leaving behind a Byakuya who was doing his best not to let his emotions play on his face. He was very worried about his sister.

* * *

*Naruhodo means "I see"

*Gomen means "sorry"

*Doushiyou means "what should I do"

*Ah so is an expression that can be translated as "is that how it is?"

*Soukyoku is a large halberd, which the Gotei 13 uses at Soukyoku Hill to execute shinigami that have severely broken the law; when released, it takes the form of a huge and magnificent phoenix-like entity; it is said to have the power of 1 million zanpakutous and has the defensive ability to block zanpakutous of equal power, and it can evaporate the soul of the one being executed by it.

*Hogyoku, also referred as The Orb of Distortion, is a unique substance in the form of a small orb that can dissolve the boundaries between a shinigami and a hollow, granting either the powers of the other.

*Sayonara means is Japanese for "goodbye".

*Senpai means "upperclassman".

*Masaka means "no way!", "it can't be"

*So desu ne can have various meanings but here it means something along the lines of "I'm afraid so" or "That's right"

*The confusion comes from the fact that Ai no Me can mean both "eyes of love" and "indigo eyes"; Renji and Rukia's first thought is at the first meaning, but Yachiru is referring to the violet-blue color of Rukia's eyes, the color of indigo.

*Irezumi is Japanese for "tattoo".

* * *

**Author's Note: **I know this chapter is sort of long and I'm sorry but I just didn't manage to break it into two…it felt better to let it like this. Thanks for bearing with me, and please let me know if you liked it or not and if there are any suggestions you want to make, they're more than welcome! Before I forget, the title of the next chapter is "Revelations: How the Winter War Ended"! It's going to be veeeery interesting, though I'm sure many of you will tell me that that will not be how the Winter War will end. I won't argue with you should that be the case, since this is just one of the million possible scenarios, and I hope it is at least a bit plausible…I wish you all the best! Bye bye until we meet again!


	6. Revelations: How the Winter War Ended

**Author's Note: **In this chapter I'm going to improvise a bit, because I have to mention the topic of how the Winter War ended and obviously there's no information about it in the anime or manga yet. I probably won't get it right but I hope you'll like my view on the subject and for the present story it will serve its purpose. I'll also have to improvise on other things, which I can't mention here because it would be a spoiler for this chapter, but the same applies, it's all done to serve the purpose of this story. I hope it's going to be a plausible view and a satisfying enough ending. Thanks for understanding! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own Bleach and still regret that fact.

* * *

**Chapter 6 Revelations: How the Winter War Ended**

After watching Rukia disappear through the senkai gate, Ichigo went back to where Kon and Chappy were and he couldn't believe how annoying Kon could be as, unbelievably, the modified soul was trying to convince Chappy to give him a kiss. Ichigo really couldn't tell whether he was angrier with Kon because he really never learned or because he was showing him an image of himself chasing Rukia around…He managed to stop his thoughts by being rightfully offended that Kon could settle for Chappy, who was definitely a far cry from Rukia when it came to personality. Well, he supposed Kon could be satisfied with any beautiful girl, but he definitely cared about Rukia's spiritual beauty…

Wait, _beautiful girl_?_ Spiritual beauty_?!? Had he just associated that with Rukia? He definitely didn't like where his thoughts were taking him. Coming back to reality, he realized he had to stop the nonsense that instant so he easily immobilized a distracted Kon and moved the modified soul into the stuffed animal where he belonged, then he entered his own body and headed with Kon and Chappy to Urahara's store.

Once there, he left Rukia's gigai* in Urahara's care and headed back home. He had hardly opened the door when a flying form came towards him, leg outstretched for a killer kick. "Ichigo, you're late!!!" Ichigo skillfully avoided the collision and his father went flying through the open door and into the street. A resounding crash was heard and then a muffled sound floated back into the house. "Well done, my son, very well done."

"Onii-chan, I saved you some dinner, what kept you?" Yuzu said with a whining voice. She really wanted people to be in time for dinner, as she worked hard to provide good meals to her family every day.

"Gomen, Yuzu, I was saying goodbye to Rukia. She left for a short while" Ichigo said, not being in the mood to invent something else as an excuse. After all, it was not unreasonable that he should want to say goodbye to a friend.

"What?" Karin exclaimed from in front of the TV. "Ichi-nii, is she going to ditch classes then? Just like that?"

Ichigo could have punched himself for not realizing that his observant sister Karin would find something wrong with this scenario. Rukia was a model student; she didn't miss classes, so she would not normally skip school days. Now he had to think of a good enough reason for her absence.

"She had a good reason to do so, Karin. She has some family issues so she went to see her brother. Besides, she's smart, it won't affect her grades" he said before digging in his delicious dinner.

"Do you hear how he speaks of her, Masaki?" Isshin said, plastering himself to the wall where his wife's poster was. "I knew I was right to call Rukia-chan our third daughter", he continued, tears streaming down his face. "Oh, this is indeed a happy day! Our son is becoming a man in the true sense of the word!!!"

"Shut up, Oyaji*" Ichigo said, aiming a kick at his father, who rolled on the floor and hit the opposite wall with a loud thud. "Can't you leave me alone not even while I have dinner? What kind of a father are you?"

"My son is acting so cold towards me! Why? Why?" Isshin cried, grabbing his head between his hands, and rolling on the floor of his own accord this time.

"Mo ii-yo*!" Ichigo said, exasperated. "Yuzu, I'm done, I can't take another bite with this moron making me choke with every word he utters_. __Gochisou__-__sama Deshita*_!" He went upstairs into his room and spread himself on the bed.

From downstairs he could still hear Yuzu scolding their father for ruining Ichigo's dinner, his father complaining that his children were all so mean to him, and Karin shouting at them both to shut up as she couldn't hear what they were saying on TV. Another sound caught his attention and he turned to see where it was coming from: it was Kon, struggling to get out of Rukia's backpack. He decided to give him a hand, just to spare himself comments later on. He was going to take advantage of the only positive thing about Rukia's departure: a full night sleep, no interruptions.

After letting a relieved Kon out of his prison, he went back to bed. He wasn't really in the mood to do anything. The house seemed strangely desolated without Rukia there, despite the noise downstairs. _Rukia_…He had to sort his thoughts about her, as things were getting out of hand recently. Before they were interrupted by the hollow alert, what on earth were they doing? Ichigo knew that the dream he had had long ago had marked him pretty much, but from there to literally trying to make his dreams become reality, well something just wasn't right.

And what were his dreams anyway? He didn't really believe in all that talk about how dreams are messages from the subconscious which tell people information they don't manage to bring forth when awake. So maybe he should just forget all about the dream and focus on reality. And the reality was that Rukia was his best friend…well, not exactly, because she was more than just his best friend. Ichigo had other people to put in that category, like Chado or Tatsuki or even that red headed baboon, Renji. Then where did that leave Rukia? Above the status of best friend…she was the one who changed his world and he had been through so much with her. It could only mean she was his soul mate or something…yeah, that sounded just about right.

"Nee-san…" Ichigo was shaken out of his reverie by a sleeping Kon, who was obviously dreaming about Rukia. _Well, that makes two of us_, Ichigo thought dryly. He threw the first thing he laid his hand on – Rukia's backpack – towards the stuffed animal, hitting him straight in the head. Kon woke with a start and a mutinous shout of pain, while Rukia's things scattered around the floor.

"Ichigo, if you continue to mistreat me like this, I am going to call someone from the animal protection, do you hear me? And look what you've done to Nee-san's things!" Kon said seeing the mess around him.

"Kon, animal protection is only for _real_ animals and you're not really a lion, but an annoying lion _plushie_ so no one's gonna care if you're being mistreated, which you're not, by the way". Ichigo got down on the floor to put Rukia's things back in her backpack. "You're the one who is mistreating _me_, because you're not letting me rest with your sleep-talking. And that's why it's your fault I threw Rukia's things at you. Now help me clean up, or you'll learn the true meaning of the word 'mistreatment'".

For once, Kon understood that Ichigo was in a bad mood and that it was wiser not to provoke him any further, so he did what he was told. But no sooner had he picked up a manga that he burst in tears, hugging it. "I miss Nee-san already!" he cried, and Ichigo couldn't really scold him, because he realized he missed Rukia too. However, he subtracted the manga from Kon's grip: "Kon, you're going to ruin this and Rukia won't thank you for it. I'll put it away before it suffers any more damage", he said, but then thought better and decided to read the manga himself. He still had to clean up the rest of the stuff, so he put it on his bed.

Next, he found Rukia's sketchbook and he couldn't stop a large smile from forming on his face at the thought of her crappy drawings. He opened it and flipped through the rabbit-themed drawings, fondly remembering how she had used them to explain this or that to him. _Mataku_*! he thought, _is she ever going to improve her drawing skills?_ Or she could at least give up her drawn explanations, but she took it very personal if someone dared criticize her drawings, he knew that first hand, as he had received many kicks and punches on that account.

He came back to reality to notice Kon had actually cleaned up the place pretty good. _He must care about Rukia more than I gave him credit for_, Ichigo said, though the recent Chappy chase was not an episode in favor of that particular theory. Well, he didn't really want to think about that. He put the sketchbook in Rukia's backpack and then climbed into bed where he started reading her manga, after he called his friends to let them know Rukia had gone to Soul Society to investigate the strange incidents from before.

*****

"Ichigo, my son, wake uuuuuuup!" a thunderous voice boomed from what seemed like above him, and Ichigo quickly jumped out of his bed and aimed a kick at his father, who was doing his morning routine.

"Ah, I see you are awake, son, and ready for school! That's my boy, always so full of energy!"

"I wasn't awake, old man, _you_ woke me up as you very well know" Ichigo said, running his hands through his already ruffled spiky hair, for fear he might be tempted to hit his dad otherwise. "I swear I'll never understand why you're attempting to kill your only son each and every single morning."

"But I'm not trying to kill you, son, just train you. What doesn't kill you makes you…"

"Stronger, yeah, I know, but I have my own methods of training, trust me, so there's really no point in this". He knew his father wouldn't listen to reason though, and he was resigned with his sad fate. He entered the bathroom, hoping his father would find something better to do than annoy him while getting ready to go to classes.

Fortunately, when he got back in his room, it was empty, so he quickly got dressed, had a quick breakfast and then went to school. The road felt longer that day and definitely quieter. But luckily, his noisy friends were more than happy to distract Ichigo from his thoughts.

After he entered the class and exchanged greetings with everyone, Orihime was the one who addressed him first. "Kurosaki-kun, are you upset that Kuchiki-san didn't come today?"

Ichigo wondered how come it was Inoue the only one to observe that, when she was usually an air-head, but he had an inkling it had something to do with the way she always used to watch him closer than she watched others, and especially his interactions with Rukia seemed to be of interest to her. The why of it was probably something he would rather not think about, so he didn't try to figure it out. Inoue was a good girl with a big heart and she was a good friend, and Ichigo hoped things would stay that way.

"Right, Rukia isn't here today, any idea why?" Tatsuki suddenly asked Ichigo. He found it very inconvenient that Tatsuki wasn't in on the whole shinigami business, and even more so because she definitely _knew _things and _saw_ things, but they had never really talked openly about it. So the pretense went on, but he really thought it was high time she was told.

He decided to tell her everything in the lunch break, therefore he answered in a hushed tone, so that none of the students in their vicinity could hear them: "Well, the official version is that she had some family problems and went to visit her brother, but I'll tell you the real reason in the lunch break if you're interested".

The serious glint in Ichigo's eyes told Tatsuki that this was something big, that they were finally telling her their big secret. She could see ghosts and other spiritual forms, some of them monstrous, and she had witnessed Ichigo travel to another dimension, for crying out loud. The sandal-hat dude, Urahara, had tried to erase that last piece of information from her mind, as well as the minds of Keigo and Mizuiro who had been with her at that time, but while the two boys had indeed forgotten everything, she remembered everything as if it was yesterday. She needed answers and she couldn't believe that she was finally going to get them.

"I'm definitely interested" Tatsuki said firmly. "And now that you said you'll tell me, I'm not letting you back down from this". She wasn't going to take any chances, as she had been waiting patiently for them to confide in her for a very long time.

"Kurosaki, what do you think you're doing and saying?" Ishida said, who was nearby and had managed to overhear them.

"Kurosaki-kun, are you sure about this?" Orihime also asked, uncertainty in her eyes, measuring the determined look on Tatsuki's face.

"Yes, I am sure. Things are peaceful now but if there will be another…_conflict_…I want Tatsuki to know what's going on so that she'll be able to keep safe". Chado, who was also nearby, nodded in assent to Ichigo's decision. They all had to take their seats after that since the sensei had entered the classroom, but no one could focus properly on the lecture.

*****

Ichigo and his friends knew the subject of Rukia's absence and all that it implied could not be touched again until lunch break because the risk of someone overhearing them was too big, but neither did any other subject seem important enough in comparison. The breaks before lunch passed in tense silence. But when the lunch break came, the group walked briskly to their favorite spot on the roof where they could talk freely. Once they got there, Ichigo started talking…and talking, and even though Ishida and Orihime had tried to interrupt him several times to add something, he just kept on going until he had told Tatsuki everything there was to know. Well, most things at least, as a full story would have taken way too long. But the main points were made and Tatsuki could not talk for a few minutes, trying to assimilate everything she had heard.

"Ok, so let me go over the most important things again, to see if I have all this right. So Rukia is a shinigami, and thanks to her you're a substitute shinigami, and there's this place called Soul Society where souls go after death…that is, unless they become hollows and prey on the souls in the real world. And it's the shinigamis' job to use their swords, called zanpakutous, to perform soul burials on plus souls and to fight hollows…so basically the shinigami keep the balance between Soul Society and the real world where souls are concerned. And Soul Society's center is the Seireitei, where shinigami and nobility live…or rather, exist…And there's also a place called Hueco Mundo where hollows come from." Throughout Tatsuki's summary, the rest of the group had nodded after each sentence, encouraging her to go on and wrap her mind around it all.

"And this last war practically began when Orihime was taken to that Hueco Mundo", Tatsuki continued, but seeing as her friends were about to correct her she quickly rectified her statement: "All right, all right, I know, it actually started ever since Rukia came here for the first time and Urahara placed that Hogyoku thing inside her _fake body_" she grimaced at the words, it all seemed so strange, even with all that she had witnessed with her very eyes. "…and that bad-ass dude, Aizen, tried to kill her in order to get his hands on it. But anyway, so you guys went to save Orihime and were stuck there while all the bad guys came here and it was up to the captains and lieutenants and some other shinigami to fight them, right?" She didn't wait for an answer as she was sure each of her friends wanted to add something, and she continued "Well, the Vizards fought them too, and they are shinigami with hollow powers, just like Ichigo here." He nodded, and she continued. "And while everyone was busy fighting someone, Aizen broke The Captain-Commander's fire barrier and went to Soul Society with that Gin guy, while the third traitor…Tousen, was it?, blocked the path of anyone who attempted to stop those two."

"And about the same time, the sandal-hat dude, Urahara, who turns out to be a shinigami and a former captain too, manages to break through Aizen's block and use Garganta to get in Hueco Mundo along with Yoruichi, who is also a former captain and can take the form of a cat and is called the "Goddess of Flash" for reasons I'll try to remember some other time. And in Hueco Mundo is where you guys were stuck in along with Rukia and Renji and four of the captains, three lieutenants and someone else, I don't remember who…"

"Hanatarou", Ichigo said in a low voice, so as not to disturb Tatsuki's speech.

"Plus this arrancar who takes the shape of a child sometimes and who turned out to be on the good side, and her fraccion…oh God, this is complicated! Anyways, so Ichigo…you had managed to kill that arrancar, Ulquiorra, who was keeping Orihime captive, and all you guys in Hueco Mundo followed Urahara and Yoruichi in Soul Society…" _'Except for Nel, Dondochakka, Pesche and Bawabawa who remained in Hueco Mundo', _Ichigo thought, "because he said that Aizen would be there and not in the fake Karakura town. And since Soul Society was practically deserted, the most powerful shinigami being in the real world, Aizen and Ichimaru had no problem in retrieving the King's Key and opening the gate to the Royal Dimension…But I don't think you told me how exactly it was that he knew where to find this key", Tatsuki said to Ichigo. "You gave me the impression that it was well hidden and well guarder and all that…"

"We don't know for sure how he got it, but Aizen was after all, a formidable foe, so he found a way. Yamamoto might have an idea, but he didn't want to share it with us. He kept the place where the Key was hidden and its guardians a secret…we have no idea what happened there, all we know is that the Captain-Commander moved the Key to a new location and probably assigned new guardians, if the first ones were killed by Aizen", Ichigo replied. "In any case, we were sort of in a hurry back then and when we saw the gate open, we didn't start debating how Aizen knew where to find the Key… We just followed. It was bad enough that Aizen had fooled us once, by making it seem like Inoue's kidnapping was his true goal, he had to make fools of us with the fake Karakura town thing also – implying he was after making another Key. By the time we understood that this whole time his objective had been to get a hold of the existing key, he had already obtained it. He was that sort of guy, always planning ahead and scheming..."

"Right, so you went after him in the Royal Dimension, and from there on you don't exactly remember much, either of you, is that what you're telling me? Because that was the most interesting part, you know!" Tatsuki exclaimed, looking at everyone in their group.

"I know, Tatsuki-chan", Orihime said, "But Yamamoto-sama explained to us that those who go into the Royal Dimension remember nothing of it when they return…it's for protection purposes".

"Yeah, though I think that's a load of crap. That place is practically out of reach, if you ignore the one big exception, Aizen, so what's with all this paranoid stuff of erased memories? Or rather, foggy memories." Ichigo amended. "We all remember some vague events that took place in there…Like the fact that Yamamoto joined us in there, but at what point, I couldn't say. I remember that Aizen and Ichimaru killed most of the Zero Division, the only one of the Royal Guard who was still alive being Hikifune Kirio…Anyway, I know I had to fight with my eyes closed the whole time because otherwise, I would have been caught in Aizen's illusion spell…everyone else in our group did the same, but the captains and lieutenants did not since they had already been placed under Aizen's spell…in any case, it wasn't easy…I'm still amazed we all survived…but while fighting without one sense is difficult, having all senses manipulated is worse, so we made the best of what lousy options we had."

"Amazing!" Tatsuki said, awed. "And you survived fighting those two guys who are supposed to be super powerful? With your eyes closed? It sounds impossible…how in the world did you manage to do that?"

"As I said, I don't remember it very clearly, but Aizen used his bankai, and his bankai allowed him to summon ghosts of any shinigami that had ever been placed under his spell of illusion…so in no time at all we were outnumbered, not them…And we know all this because the captains and lieutenants were telling us what was going on, as we couldn't look for ourselves. So the fight started and I went for Aizen, of course…I don't know how I managed to defeat him, I think it was being in the Royal Dimension that made me stronger and faster…I don't understand why though, but that's how it was…plus, Urahara helped me…

"Ano, Kurosaki-kun, I really have to interfere for a bit" Orihime said. "I didn't doubt for a second that you could defeat Aizen. Weren't you the one who stopped the Soukyoku, which has the power of a million zanpakutous, with your Zangetsu? And weren't you the one who defeated Kuchiki Byakuya's bankai, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, which consisted of a hundred million blades? You had the strength and the speed all the time, not to mention your wonderful resolve". Orihime's keen observations with regards to Ichigo made everyone raise their eyebrows, but then again, her feelings for him were not exactly a secret in their small group…well, Ichigo had no clue about it, but he was Ichigo, so it made sense.

Ichigo continued: "Thanks for the faith you have in me, Inoue, but I really thought I was going to fail back then. I wasn't the only one who deserves praises though…Rukia finished off Ichimaru, with the help of Yoruichi. I didn't see Rukia, but I heard her and she was brilliant, she used this very powerful combination of Kidou spells, followed by a strong ice attack with her zanpakutou…it was great. And the rest of these guys were great also from what they've told me, some of them fought more than one opponent and the ghosts Aizen summoned were no mediocre shinigami…only captains! The shinigami that were with us were all impressed later on when they had time to think back at things, and they were only captains and lieutenants with the exception of Hanatarou. Rukia told us that we made quite an impression" Ichigo concluded with a wide grin, remembering how Byakuya's face had looked when he had realized what Ichigo and his friends could do.

Orihime, with her attention focused on Ichigo and his words, realized that Ichigo had only heard Rukia in the midst of the battle, although all of them had been relatively close to each other. Due to the fact that they had kept their eyes closed, their group had the other senses much more aware of what was going on, so if Ichigo afforded to shift part of the attention of his hearing sense on Rukia and her battle, why couldn't he listen to hear the others as well? The answer was not something to her liking: Ichigo had only listened for Rukia because she was the most important to him. But Orihime sort of knew that already, so this didn't come as a surprise. She was distracted from her thoughts by her friend's excited exclamations.

"Wow!…there's just no word for it except …wow!" Tatsuki said. This was too much for her, she couldn't understand all that power and such intense life and death situation…she needed a day or two to get over the shock.

"And then, when I finally defeated Aizen, all the ghosts disappeared and when there were no more enemies, the Soul King himself appeared."

"Whoa…and you mention this only now?!?" Tatsuki exclaimed. "You didn't mention this before…so who is he? What's he like?"

"Foggy memory, Tatsuki, remember? I don't know his identity, none of us do", Ichigo looked around to see everyone nodding, "but I have this feeling he was a very wise, powerful and kind person…" Again, the others approved through small silent gestures. "If there's one thing I remember clearly from back then, it's the fact that I was initially very pissed about the fact that the Soul King didn't come to assist us in battle. But then he told us that his main duty is not to get killed, so I had no choice but to accept that…he did have a point. Anyway, we left the Royal Dimension soon afterwards I think…and that was when we noticed we couldn't remember anything about what that dimension was like, and all the rest of our memories were foggy…But by that point, no one cared anymore…we just wanted to go home", Ichigo finished.

Ishida felt the need to tell a part of the story himself, if only the ending. "The real Karakura town had been put back into its place, as the other captains and lieutenants that had been fighting in the real world had finished off their enemies and returned to Soul Society, so we went back, along with Urahara-san and Yoruichi-san."

"Yeah", Ichigo continued from there much to Ishida's annoyance, "and Rukia and Renji stayed behind though it was not long afterwards that Rukia got the assignment to watch over Karakura town. She told us that the Zero Division was replaced with the most skilled of the third seat officers in the Gotei 13 and before you ask", Ichigo said, seeing the confused expression on Tatsuki's face, "the reason for it was that captains and lieutenants were more useful kept in Soul Society to prevent a future attack should there be the case, because if there must be a fight, it must not reach the Royal Dimension again. Plus the third seats will be training and improving their skills in there, so they'll probably be more powerful in no time at all. I guess there's not much else to do around there, though I wouldn't know. I've got no memories left about the Royal Dimension itself and what one could do in there to pass the time."

"Well, to say I'm overwhelmed it's to understate things, but I've got no better word for it…" Tatsuki said, shaking her head in disbelief. "That's quite a story…"

"And we're going to tell the story of us being expelled if we stay here for much longer!" Ishida suddenly exclaimed. "The class is about to start, we have to go, now!"

"Sheesh, Ishida, you've been through all that and you panic about being expelled for being late _once_ in your life? Are you for real?" Tatsuki said, voice raised. "And you still haven't told me the reason why Rukia is not here today!" she protested

"Oh, don't mind him", Ichigo said, grinning. "Let's just head back for now, and we'll talk about the rest after the classes are over, OK?" Everyone agreed.

*****

When the group got reunited in front of the Karakura High School, Ichigo started telling Tatsuki about the possible new threat, but before any of them could elaborate on that subject, Tatsuki interrupted: "You can tell me more about this on the way, so let's go."

"Where to, Tatsuki-chan?" Orihime said, dumbfounded. This time, she was not the only one, everyone seemed as clueless as she was.

"Why, to Urahara's Shop, of course. Now that I'm finally part of this, do you really think I'm gonna run to safety when you fight, Orihime? When all of you fight? No way! So I'm gonna ask Urahara to make me a weapon or something so that I can fight hollows and arrancar and whatever else comes this way!" Her look was speaking volumes about her resolve and her tone was so determined that none of them dared to argue, as they started towards Urahara's shop.

* * *

*gigai is the artificial body that allows shinigami to remain in the human world for an extended period

*Oyaji is an informal word meaning "dad"

*Mo ii-yo is an expression that means "I've had enough" or "forget it"

*_Gochisou__-__sama Deshita means "thank you for the meal", "it was a feast"_

*Mataku is an expression that denotes exasperation or aggravation, meaning something along the lines of "seriously" "really", "how troublesome"

* * *

**Author's Note: **I have to ask, did you like this chapter? What do you think of my perspective on how the Winter War ended? Do you agree? Do you disagree? What do you think will actually happen? And if I wrote something unrealistic, please tell me so! In any case, let me know your opinions. The title of the next chapter will be "The Beginning of the Storm". Please be patient before I upload it! Bye.


	7. The Beginning of the Storm

**Author's Note:**The action is finally about to begin. It took a while to get here, but I hope it wasn't that bad. I want to say thanks one more time to all my readers, and to wish you a pleasant reading from now on as well. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Bleach, one of the regrets of my life.

* * *

**Chapter 7 The Beginning of the Storm**

Rukia and Renji came out of the Senkai Gate to their destination, Urahara's store. Jinta was picking on Ururu again for some unknown reason, pulling her strands, and Rukia just had to interfere. She had just separated the two when she though she heard a familiar voice. And she was right!

"Ichigo, minna*" Rukia exclaimed, especially after seeing Tatsuki among them, "what are you all doing here?"

"Rukia!" Ichigo said, a smile lighting up his face "I'm glad to see you came back quickly, you saved me a trip to Soul Society, as I _would _have come looking for you".

"I know, idiot, you'd do that and much more. Common sense isn't something in your vocabulary, is it?" She said, sticking her tongue out at him. She realized that though she had only been gone for little over a day, she had missed him. "Now, as I was saying, what's going on?" She didn't miss the fact that Ichigo said 'Soul Society' with Tatsuki there. She wanted an update on what had been going on.

"Well, Rukia, Ichigo decided today that I'm a big enough girl to know what's going around me", Tatsuki said with a grin. "So I know everything now and although it's still quite a shock to me, I'm glad to finally be part of the team." Rukia raised an eyebrow at that statement, and Tatsuki continued, grinning: "I've asked Urahara to make a weapon for me, something I can fight hollows with. He said he already had something and he want in the back to look for it. Isn't that cool?"

Rukia kept quiet but her mind was full of thoughts, none very positive. While it was somewhat a relief that Tatsuki was finally in on the big secret, she didn't want one more friend caught in the battle the next time a threat appeared. Also, Tatsuki's enthusiasm was obviously more a result of the fact that she knew everything now, rather than she knew what she was talking about. She hoped Ichigo had told her how much death, pain and suffering was involved in this business, and if that was the case, her enthusiasm was completely misplaced. But she had probably found out about all this at school, a couple of hours ago, so obviously it didn't sink in yet. However, she decided it was her duty to point things out.

"'Cool' is not quite the word I'd use for it. I suppose it's good that you know, but trust me, you don't want to be involved in this, it's a pretty dangerous job and leaves marks."

"Hey, don't think I don't know that, but since I see hollows and spirits and shinigami and all that, don't think I can just stay away. I'm glad I'll finally be able to fight by my friends' side". Tatsuki's voice was very determined, and Rukia understood. The girl knew what she was doing so now they were all in this together.

"Rukia, don't just go ahead and leave me to settle the argument between these two brats", an irate Renji said, coming in carrying Jinta and Ururu one under each arm. Luckily, the two in question were too busy continuing their bickering to notice how unceremoniously Renji was carrying them. However, they did notice when Renji dropped them on the floor of the store, and while Ururu just went back to sweeping outside the store, Jinta voiced his annoyance.

"Isoro-san, you might want to act nicer towards me or you'll find yourself outta here in no time, do you hear me??!?!" Renji looked pissed off to no ends by that remark, and watching the two, everyone could tell that it takes a redhead to annoy the living daylights out of another.

"Renji", Ichigo said, surprised, "you're here too? What's up? What did you find out, Rukia?"

"I'm here on Kuchiki-taichou's orders to assist Rukia in watching over Karakura Town…he thinks there might be danger soon." Renji said. Then Rukia proceeded in telling them what she had found out about the 12th division and its experiments.

"I don't like the sound of that", Ichigo said. "So these soldiers are some kind of robots, made to resemble shinigami…not an encouraging thought...I mean, sure, it would be great if we wouldn't have to fight when trouble comes, but how reliable are these things? I really don't want to think what would happen if something goes wrong. I'd rather fight myself than risk that".

"I said the same thing", Renji said, "but it seems like Yamamoto knows and agrees with this so there's nothing much we can do."

"Except fight if it's the case!" Tatsuki said, still hyped by the fact that she was part of the secret now. "And talking about fighting, where did Sandal-Hat go to look for that weapon? Soul Society?!?"

"Oh dear, I did take long, didn't I?" Urahara said, coming from the back of the store, keeping something in his hands, behind his back. "I'm afraid it's quite messy in the store right now, I've been working on different projects and…" He stopped speaking when he saw the newcomers. "Ara, Kuchiki-san, back so soon? I hope I can find your gigai among all the mess. Oh, and I see I will need to give one to Abrai-kun as well. Will you be staying with us then?" Urahara asked Renji.

"NO!" Jinta said rather loudly, while Renji ignored him and said "If that's all right with you, I will be staying here for an undetermined period of time. My captain sent me to watch over Karakura town with Rukia, as trouble seems to be coming this way."

"Ah, so Little Byakuya thinks there might be danger round here soon, and is worried about his little sister!" Yoruichi said, approaching the group. As she was nearing Urahara, she noticed he didn't get to show Tatsuki her new weapon, so she snatched it from his hands and presented it for all to see. "Don't keep these kids waiting, show them your newest toy".

Everyone noticed that while Yoruichi was teasing Urahara, the pride in her voice could not be disguised. But then their attention was pulled toward the weapon in her hand, and it fully captured their interest. It looked like a staff made of a metal of some sort, but there was nothing special whatsoever about it.

"Well, don't all be amazed at the same time", Urahara said, noticing that after the initial interest, everyone seemed a bit puzzled as to what exactly the weapon was. "Oh, I suppose it is the fate of brilliant people to always have to explain their inventions. This is what I call the Reinou no Zoufukuki* or RnZ for short. So it's not just a metal stick as you might think, but a very useful weapon. Let me make a demonstration." He took the RnZ from Yoruichi's hand and pushed a very small button which was on it, though it was almost invisible. A spear head appeared, and Urahara focused his spiritual power on the staff, which began to glow very brightly. "There, if you stab a hollow with this, it will definitely do the job. Care to try?" he asked Tatsuki.

The girl took the weapon from Urahara's hand and tried to focus all her energy into it, closing her eyes in concentration. She didn't really know what she was supposed to do, as she had never done anything like it before. But she felt like she had this hidden place inside herself where a secret power was just waiting to be uncovered. So she tried to find that place and to let whatever was inside out. She forced to focus a couple of seconds and then opened her eyes, and was surprised to see a faint glow around the spearhead. The others were all silently watching her with encouraging looks on their faces.

"As I was saying, with the amount of spiritual power I placed on the RnZ it would have finished off a hollow" Urahara said. "…with what you're doing, you might have to work a bit harder than just place a single stab. But I did not name this weapon an amplifier for nothing. The more you use it, the easier it will be to focus and to make it glow." He smiled at Tatsuki and then said with a long sigh: "I seem to have become a philanthropist. Not only am I accepting Abarai-kun in my shop without payment but I will give this wonderful invention for free also…"

"Oh, don't worry, Urahara-san, I'll pay for the RnZ." Rukia said.

"Rukia, I can't let you do that…but how do you pay for this, something tells me it's not money and Ichigo forgot to mention shinigami methods of payment when he was telling me that long story back at school." Tatsuki said, a bit embarrassed. She couldn't quite afford stuff like this, and she had been so excited about it a moment ago, she really hadn't given one thought to the fact that the place was, after all, a _shop_.

"Don't worry, I've got it cover", Rukia said, shaking off Tatsuki's protest. If it was one thing she didn't lack, as being part of a noble family, was "currency", no matter what form it was in.

"Very generous of you, Kuchiki-san!" Urahara said, happily rubbing his hands together. "And I must add that I would not have asked for payment if I…"

"Oh, save it for someone who doesn't know you better", Yoruichi said with a laugh. "Now finish the transaction, you greedy businessman, and then come to me; we've got plans for tonight, or have you forgotten?" and she threw him a very suggestive look, followed by a quick caress and then she was going away, a sensual air about her.

Everyone had suddenly become embarrassed, but Urahara didn't notice, being way too busy writing the bill for the RNZ, while once again humming to himself. They decided to leave as soon as possible as they didn't want Yoruichi to get impatient and come dragging Urahara with her…Who knows how she might decide to vent her frustration? They surely weren't going to be there to find out.

"So where to, guys?" Ichigo asked once they were out of the shop.

"I'm dying to try out my new weapon", Tatsuki said, excitement back in her voice. "I just have to make it glow brighter by the end of the day. I'm just not very sure where I can practice with it, I suppose it's not a good idea to be seen…"

"You can come back to my place", Orihime said. "If there might be danger ahead, I think I'd like to do some practicing myself. It will be the first time we do something like this together, Tatsuki-chan, I am very happy! So we're off now, but we'll talk more next week at school. Bye!"

"Bye, minna!" Tatsuki also said, and they left together.

"I will do the same", Ishida said. "It's obvious something is coming this way and I want to be prepared for it. I will go to my special training ground and begin training immediately. So I will see you later". Chado also nodded to that and they both left, but in separate directions.

"We'd better go too, or else you'll miss dinner time again, Ichigo and I'm sure your father and Yuzu will be upset", Rukia said. "Renji, we'll talk more tomorrow morning, OK? We have to coordinate somehow and keep better watch on the town."

"Sure thing, Rukia. See you in the morning. You too, Ichigo". Renji said.

"Yeah, we'll talk more tomorrow…Not very early in the morning though, will you? It's Saturday after all." Ichigo said, and he left with Rukia, while Renji watched them going away, trying to decipher what they were feeling at their reunion.

*****

Rukia had climbed through the window of Ichigo's bedroom, as his family still didn't know she was living there, in his closet. She could hear Ichigo fighting with his father downstairs, which was definitely not unusual. Her attention was caught by the sight of her manga on Ichigo's bed, and a sleeping Kon drooling all over it.

"KON!!! You are ruining my manga! Get off it this instant" she said, as loud as she could afford, in order to avoid detection by the members of the Kurosaki family. She snatched her manga from a still confused Kon, watching as the modified soul's expression turned from one of confusion to one of pure joy.

"Nee-san!!! You're back! I've missed you sooooo…" He didn't get to say anything more, as Rukia efficiently silenced his loud screaming, by grabbing him by the neck and throwing him into one of the drawers in Ichigo's desk.

"Kon, you fool, they're going to hear you." Rukia stuffed her manga into her backpack, noticing that inside there was a mess. "And what happened to my backpack?"

"Nee-san, it wasn't my fault, Ichigo was the one who…" Kon began, having emerged from the drawer, but Rukia cut him off again. "Well, Ichigo is going to get a piece of my mind when he finishes dinner and comes upstairs". Her voice was becoming darker: she cared a lot about the few, but important things she kept in her backpack.

And twenty minutes later, Ichigo did receive an earful of complaints plus a kick in the stomach for the backpack story, and he didn't take it kindly, but complained himself that all was peaceful before a certain _irritating midget_ came back. Despite their argument, they were actually very happy to see each other again, and this was just their normal way to celebrate their reunion.

Rukia proceeded then to tell him about the changes in Soul Society. Ichigo was surprised to hear about the promotions and about how much everyone seemed to have improved in terms of fighting ability.

"So now the 3rd, 5th and 9th divisions have new captains who have all achieved bankai. It seems like you weren't the only one working hard after the war, Rukia." Ichigo was glad that everyone seemed to have learned their lesson and were getting as ready as they could for the next fight. Although he only wanted things to be peaceful, he knew it couldn't be long before a new threat would drag them all back into battle.

"But that's just the 'professional' part of the news" Rukia said. "I don't like gossip but I guess I'd better tell you the new developments on the 'personal' side, since we can't know when that information will prove to be useful". She then proceeded in telling him about what she and Renji had found out about Kira, Matsumoto, Hinamori and Hitsugaya. Ichigo was pretty surprised by the news, but nothing could have prepared him for Rukia's next words.

"Oh, and Kenpachi sends his regards along with Yachiru's. The next time you meet with the 11th division captain, be sure it's going to turn into a fight as he has found out the name of his zanpakutou and has achieved bankai. And Yachiru managed to achieve bankai as well, and she was excited at the thought of showing it to you."

"Right, so I'm not setting a foot in Soul Society in this lifetime. I guess I won't have a choice after I die, but I'm afraid I don't plan to visit sooner than that!" Ichigo said, taken aback by the news. How much stronger could Kenpachi get? He had barely managed to survive his last fight with him and now he must be ten times stronger than he was then. And Yachiru? The apparently inoffensive little girl could definitely be a problem if she decided to show him her bankai in a fight. She might have pink hair and red cheeks, but she was from the 11th division after all.

Rukia laughed at that and said, reassuringly: "Hey, you beat Aizen, so you're probably able to defeat Kenpachi with your eyes closed too, bankai or no bankai". The admiration in her voice was clear, and Ichigo felt very proud of himself, despite the fact that he wasn't as sure as Rukia was about his odds of winning a fight with Kenpachi at his current level.

"Anyway, I've told you everything there was to tell from Soul Society. Now it's your turn to tell me about what homework we have for next week." Then, as a second thought, she added: "Oh, and you'd better tell Renji about that too, he'll be posing as your cousin again at school".

Ichigo groaned at that thought, but in reality he wasn't very upset about Renji being there. He enjoyed his fights and arguments with the red-head a lot, and in case something bad was going to happen in Karakura Town soon, he liked to know that another skilled fighter will be by his and Rukia's side. With that in mind, he began telling Rukia about the homework.

*****

In Soul Society, the rumors about the 12th division's activities kept on being the main subjects of conversation in the days following Rukia and Renji's departure to the real world. However, in the third day, there was fresh news to spark new speculations. The captain of that infamous division had asked Yamamoto to call for a captains' meeting. Everyone wanted to know what it was about, and officers were debating what the reasons might be, while waiting for their captains to return to the divisions and inform them.

Byakuya walked calmly towards the 1st division headquarters, ignoring the shinigami he met on the way and who were busy talking about the meeting, regardless of their rank. He had been waiting for something like this to happen. He didn't know the exact details, but it was obvious what had occurred: something had gone wrong with Kurotsuchi's soldiers. Byakuya's only concern was how bad the situation was and whether the threat was directed only towards Soul Society or whether the real world, where Rukia was, was also in danger.

His dark blue eyes took on an even darker shade at the thought of Rukia in danger. He knew she had improved her fighting skills and had become stronger, but it was instinctive for him to worry about her. Despite Renji being there with her, as well as Kurosaki, he felt that she didn't have enough protection in the real world, so far away from him. But he was trying to allow her more freedom, so he couldn't do anything about it for the moment. He would analyze the situation again, after the meeting, when he would have more information.

Given the fact that no one was around, Byakuya sighed – something that he had taken to doing quite often lately, to his own annoyance – and tried to enjoy the cool wind blowing through his long black hair. He readjusted his scarf, while absently wishing that the night would come sooner, so he could remove his kenseikan* and his haori and enjoy the breeze freely, while gathering his thoughts and trying to overcome his worries. _That time will come soon_, he thought, but for now the meeting was about to start.

He noticed that mostly all the captains were there, bearing similar concerned expressions, but the most important person of the moment had not yet arrived. However, the thought had barely crossed his mind when Kurotsuchi entered the room, disheveled and frantic. Byakuya raised his eyebrows just the tiniest bit, knowing that the news was going to be bad indeed, and not being able to imagine fast enough which was the worst case scenario.

Yamamoto spoke first, when all the captains were gathered in the room. "Today's meeting is about the 12th division's latest activities and some unfortunate events that have taken place earlier today. I ask of you to listen carefully to Kurotsuchi-taichou after which we will decide what is to be done."

Mayuri started speaking immediately, in an agitated manner. "Yes, well, as I'm sure you all know, I've been working on a way to reduce the number of casualties in a war. I have devised the concept of jinin…" He proceded in telling the captains all about his prototypes, their powers and he told them in detail about their weapons. "Hensei's sword can obviously turn into any of the other jinin' swords, depending on which appearance he takes. Gekitai's sword turns into a double headed axe once it has repelled an attack, and with it the reverse attack is casted. Mahi Itami's sword turns red after it has immobilized its victim, and with it the next blow is dealt, which causes unbearable pain. Repurika's sword changes after it absorbs an attack, it has four blades, each of which can shoot an identical attack with the one absorbed. As for Surikireru, its sword grows in size and damaging capacity once it has absorbed the reiatsu of its opponent. But before they take an attack from their enemy, you can't tell them apart, as all the jinin look exactly the same and their swords look like any unreleased zanpakutou initially."

Mayuri made a short break to breathe, while the captains had started murmuring among themselves, amazed at such creations. They had imagined a lot about what the 12th division was testing lately, but this clearly surpassed any of their ideas. Byakuya had paled ever so slightly, realizing instantly the extent of the danger both Soul Society and the real world were in if his assumption that the jinin were out of control was right.

"As I am sure you understand", Mayuri continued, "these jinin are extremely powerful, and I am afraid this is only the beginning of their powers. I have begun suspecting they might be evolving beyond what I planned a few days ago, and I have started a new set of tests in order to determine how far this evolution might go. I have also insisted on reprogramming them, so that there was no risk of them not obeying the most basic of rules. But while we were checking their understanding of the rules, we discovered they had developed a mind of their own and their own perspective about these rules."

If before the 12th division captain had said that, the other captains were still murmuring, now a dead silence fell on the room. Byakuya noticed that even Kyouraku Shunsui had a grave expression and nothing of his laid back attitude remained about him in those moments. Hitsugaya was frowning even more than usual, Hinamori seemed outright scared, while the others simply waited, with varying degrees of anxiousness, for Kurotsuchi to continue.

The said captain obliged. "The simple rule that the jinin should protect all shinigami, plus souls and humans from any kind of danger was twisted by their new found reasoning and they decided that both Soul Society and the real world need to be ruled by a strict hand that would make sure no danger ever occurred…Obviously, they have reached the conclusion that they are the ones who should rule. I am therefore afraid that they will attempt to go to the Royal Dimension, usurp the King's authority and take it for themselves."

Now the silence was broken and outraged voices resounded all throughout the room. It was all rather unbelievable. No sooner had Aizen's ploy to overthrow the King been stopped, that a new threat was headed in the same direction? It really seemed impossible.

"Silence!" Yamamoto ordered, and the voices were hushed in an instant. "Let us allow the captain to finish, and then we will talk about what action needs to be taken."

Mayuri continued. "I do not know how the jinin plan to achieve their goal, and I do not know where they are now. They seem to have developed some kind of reiatsu, but they have also mastered hiding it, therefore they have gone missing. What I do know, though, is that they are no longer in Soul Society". At this remark, a few gasps could be heard. Byakuya had almost gasped himself, as his worst fears were coming true. If those things were not in Soul Society anymore, they were probably in the real world…where Rukia was…

"A group of young shinigami from the Academy were returning to Soul Society, and when the jinin saw the gate opening, they fled through it. We must assume they are either in the real world or in Hueco Mundo, though I think the first option is more plausible, given the fact that there isn't much left in the latter." Having said that, Mayuri walked away from the center of the room where he had been standing all throughout his speech, and got in line with the rest of the captains.

"So now we have all the facts", Yamamoto said. "I have known about the risks of this experiment, and I am sorry that the worst has happened. If the jinin could have been controlled, they would have been a great addition to our ranks. As it is, we have a new threat on our hands. Our objectives are simple: find the jinin and annihilate them." At Mayuri's sad sigh, the Captain-Commander continued: "We don't have the time to find out if they can be put back under control and the fact that they have the ability to evolve is of primary concern. We don't know how the jinin are planning to reach the Royal Dimension, but we must be prepared for anything. That is why we have to split up. Some of the captains and their lieutenants will go to the real world, some will go to Hueco Mundo, and some will remain here, in Soul Society. The jinin are somewhere out there and the sooner we find them, the better. Now for the teams, let's start with the real world, where the jinin are most likely to be. I would prefer it for someone with experience there to go, so I would suggest Hitsugaya-taichou and Kuchiki-taichou to begin with."

Byakuya nodded curtly. He was perfectly happy with this decision because he couldn't stand being so far away from Rukia knowing she could be in grave danger. He looked to see if the short, white-headed captain had any objections.

"I will also take my lieutenant, Matsumoto, with me", Hitsugaya said. "And I would also like to suggest that Hinamori-taichou come to the real world as well. She has done training there before, so she should prove useful". Byakuya noticed that Toshirou's cheeks had a slightly pink color, similar to Hinamori's, who confirmed her willingness to participate enthusiastically. The fact that those two captains were involved in a relationship was no longer a secret for anyone, and although Byakuya was usually against mixing professional issues with personal ones, he could not blame them for wanting to be together. He wanted to be by his sister's side too, after all.

"I would also like to join the party", a grinning Kenpachi put in, "and I'd like to take my lieutenant Yachiru with me". Byakuya grimaced inside at the thought of _those two_ in the real world. He would have preferred anyone else, but his hopes were in vain.

"So be it, then!" Yamamoto said. "Now for the captains who will go to Hueco Mundo, I suggest Ukitake-taichou, Kyouraku-taichou, Soi Fon-taichou and Hisagi-taichou, while the rest are to remain here. Any objections or questions?" No one spoke up. "Then this meeting is over. I expect you to go to your assigned destinations as soon as possible and proceed with due care. Good luck!"

All the captains started exiting the room, after saying their goodbyes, in a hurry to tell their lieutenants and other officers the news. Byakuya was satisfied that he was going to the real world, but he couldn't have had worse companions. Practically two _kids_ and a fight-obsessed man, not to mention a depressed and usually drunk blonde lieutenant, along with a tiny, annoying pink-haired lieutenant who was sure to get in his way. He headed towards the exit of the room, taking comfort in the fact that at least he'll be by Rukia's side for the duration of this new conflict. It was, after all, the only thing that was of utmost importance to him.

* * *

*minna means "everybody", "everyone".

*Reinou no Zoufukuki means spiritual ability amplifier.

*the kenseikan is the white headpiece that symbolizes Byakuya's nobility as head of the Kuchiki family.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I hope you liked this chapter and, as usual, I would be happy to receive any reviews, opinions, constructive criticism, etc. The next chapter is called "Divide et Impera", and it should be available in a few days' time. Bye until then!


	8. Divide et Impera

**Author's Note:** Hello again! First of all, the reason why it took a bit longer to upload than usual is, besides what I've mentioned in other notes, that I had a lot of imagining to do and a lot of describing of new "things". I can't say more or it'll take the fun in reading the chapter, but you'll know what I mean soon enough. Also, this chapter is again a pretty long one, so it took some time to edit it just right.

I want to underline the fact that in the last chapter I said that the action is _about_ to begin, which means it won't begin just yet. Sorry for that, but there are still some loose ends that need tying and I just didn't manage to fit any fights for now…however, this is definitely the prologue to the action, as you will have a peek into the jinin's plans and not only. So enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Bleach.

* * *

**Chapter 8 Divide et Impera**

In the real world, news of the jinin's disappearance had not reached certain highschool students who would have been very interested to know. As it was, they were all gathering in the school yard, to talk about how their training had been going during the weekend.

Tatsuki was the first to speak. "Hey, guys, you're not going to believe how much I improved with my RnZ these past two days! I can make it glow much brighter now, though I'm still no match for Urahara", the girl admitted rather grudgingly. "I almost wish a hollow came around so that I can test my abilities!"

Rukia frowned. Tatsuki was still too enthusiastic of this whole situation and she was really afraid of the girl's reaction to her first fight. Unfortunately, she didn't know how to prepare Tatsuki for it, so she could only let her hit the wall on her own and learn the lesson. She was hoping it wasn't going to be a too hard hit.

Before Tatsuki said anything more that might have worried Rukia, Ishida interrupted, to report that he had a very satisfying training session himself and it was clear how pleased he was to be able to tell them of his progress. Even Chado said a few words, enough only to convey the fact that he hadn't been idle that weekend and his skills were sharper than ever.

Orihime felt the urge to say something herself, especially as she also wanted to ask a question. "I also trained with Tatsuki and it's been lots of fun!" When she saw that her friends were starting to roll their eyes, she hastily added: "Of course, I was very serious about the training, as I know that there might be trouble soon. What have you two been doing this weekend, Kurosaki-kun, Kuchiki-san?"

Rukia felt that the purpose behind Inoue speaking up was to ask that particular question and she felt sorry for the girl. She was obviously in love with Ichigo, and the stupid strawberry had no clue, though everyone in their group knew. She wondered if she shouldn't just tell Ichigo and let him deal with it, just like he had told Tatsuki everything that they've been withholding until then. If she did tell Ichigo, how would he react? She smiled a bit imagining that he would definitely blush with a vengeance, but then her humorous mood left her as she pondered the possibility of him welcoming that news.

But no, if Ichigo had feelings for Orihime, she would have felt it. By now she knew Ichigo too well to have any doubts on that matter, but she just couldn't stop being a bit insecure. In any case, she decided this was not her secret to tell, and Orihime had to decide herself whether she was going to confess to Ichigo or not. She wanted to reply to the girl's question, to ease her mind, but Ichigo was faster.

"Not much, actually, compared to what you guys have been doing. On Saturday, me and Rukia visited this red-head." and he pointed to Renji, who was yawning, obviously upset he had to go to classes so early in the morning when he had been hoping to sleep late at least in the real world. "Since he's posing as my cousin from today on, we had to tell him about homework and such stuff, so it was a rather boring day. I would have preferred training with Zangetsu."

"Well, you shouldn't have let me kept you", Renji said, ready for a new teasing match with Ichigo. "I would have preferred Rukia being the only one to explain the homework to me, you just got in the way anyway".

"Is that so?" Ichigo retorted. "And here I was thinking that even with two persons explaining, you were doing a lousy job at understanding. Should have known better than to waste my time with you."

"What was that, carrot-top?" Renji said through gritted teeth. "You want a piece of me? Bring it on, I too would have preferred to spend my Saturday training, Zabimaru is anxious to kick some butt."

"Now, guys, behave. This is not the time for a fight. Classes are about to start", Rukia said. Her words didn't do much to calm the two hot-headed boys down, but they broke off their argument and followed the others to the class. Things didn't improve when Ichigo and Renji continued their arguments during the breaks, and all their classmates remarked how similar Ichigo and his _cousin_ were. At that remark, they both shouted that they were nothing alike, much to the amusement of Rukia, Orihime and Tatsuki. Chado was also amused by this and even Ishida cracked a smile against his will.

They were all thinking that from now on school promised to be a very fun place with Ichigo and Renji around, in the same classroom. However, they were blissfully unaware that their happy times were about to meet an abrupt ending.

*****

While the group in the real world was having fun in Karakura High School, and the captains and lieutenants in Soul Society were preparing to leave for their assigned destinations, the jinin were gathered in their new fortress for a strategic meeting in order to achieve their goal of ruling both worlds.

They were in neither of those worlds, but in the depths of Hueco Mundo, somewhere not far beyond the Forest of Menos, where they had decided it was least likely for someone to discover their hideout. Their "fortress" was actually a former cave which a few lowly hollows had been staying in, but they had been easily dealt with and the jinin claimed the place for themselves.

The cave was not actually just one cave, but an intricate system of caves and tunnels, covering a very wide area. Each cave was very large and a bit of light managed to filter down in every one of them. On the other hand, the endless tunnels were dark, narrow, and each of them ended in a different part of Hueco Mundo, each exit far away from the next.

The key advantage of the place was that no one would suspect they would be there, also that the tunnels provided perfect escape routes should they need to flee, not to mention the fact that the Forest of Menos served as a "natural" shield for them.

The jinin were in one of the largest caves, in the middle of the Fortress (as they were referring to that place) discussing the steps that needed to be taken in order to achieve their goal of ensuring a perfectly danger-free society for all shinigami, plus souls and humans.

If Kurotsuchi Mayuri would have seen them then, he might have looked twice before realizing these were the same jinin that had escaped Soul Society mere hours ago. They were no longer identical, asexual and non-descript in appearance. They had individualized themselves. Gekitai had taken a male form, he had shoulder length hair, parted down the middle, one side being black and the other white, and he had deep black eyes. His skin was chalky white and made him look like what many humans wrongly called a ghost, but the fact that was very solid ruled against that theory.

Hensei had taken on a female form, she had wavy rainbow colored hair that hung down to her waist and her eye color was changing between black, gray, arctic blue, green, gold and red, depending on her mood. Her skin hada warm, golden color and her tall body was perfectly proportioned.

Mahi Itami had taken on a male form, with short hair the color of blood, left longer at the top where it was somewhat curly. His eyes were equally red as his hair, and he kept them permanently narrowed. He had an olive-hued skin, and his body was very athletic. Taller then Gekitai, he was towering over the rest of the jinin.

Repurika had taken on a female form, with pale blue pixie-styled hair, and her arctic blue eyes looked like they could freeze someone just by glaring. She was thin, and shorter than Hensei, and her marble-white skin made her look like an ice sculpture of a fairy. There were two other jinin who looked exactly like her, except that one had dark green hair assorted with the same color eyes, while the other had golden hair and golden eyes. These last two were the result of Mayuri's testing Repurika's ability to create other jinin like herself, and Hensei's ability to do the same while he had morphed into Repurika. The jinin had agreed to use the names given to them by their creator, while for the last two additions of their ranks, they simply called them Midori* and Kin*.

Finally, Surikireru had taken on a male form, with silvery long hair in a braid that almost reached the middle of his back. His skin was light-colored and his slimness didn't give him an air of fragility only due to the muscles visible through his robes, not to mention his impressive height. His gray eyes were presently holding a dull expression, as he was conversing with Mahi Itami, who was just saying: "I don't see why we should eliminate threats first, and then proceed to our final objective. Would it not be better to eliminate anyone that might stand in our path as they come?" Mahi Itami's red eyes seemed ablaze as he spoke in a hurried tone, with a low-pitched voice.

"Your reasoning ability seems to have been affected. Search among the data from both worlds that has been implanted in our memory. Do you not see that the best way to go about this is the principle of 'divide et impera'? If everyone should stand in our path at the same time, the probability of success of our mission is reduced significantly. It is best that we track down each possible threat and eliminate them, and that is how we shall prevail, by dividing them first, and then conquering." Surikireru's voice had a very cutting edge and each word was precise.

"I still think we should avoid taking the lives of shinigami. We have to protect them, not eliminate them", Hensei said. She had a very warm, melodic alto voice that held a thousand inflections.

"Protecting them from themselves is part of our responsibilities. We have also been given data of the history of Soul Society. Aizen Sousuke is just one example of the fact that shinigami don't always know what is best for them, and the same goes for humans. Thus, those who threaten our mission are a threat to both races, and must be eliminated." Gekitai reasoned dispassionately.

"Now that this is clear to all of us", Repurika said in a high soprano voice, throwing a challenging glance towards Hensei, "should we also divide ourselves and attack different key shinigami, or should we attack together? After all, the 'divide et impera' tactic can work in the reverse way as well". Both Midori and Kin nodded at that and looked expectantly around.

Mahi Itami was the one who replied. "I believe that if we are to go about our plans like this, then we can each attack a different target. We were endowed with great powers and the possibility of us losing a fight is minimal".

"Arrogance is a trait of human or shinigami, my _friend_" Surikireru said. "We are jinin and we are above such faults. Underestimate our opponents and the probability of your losing a fight is very high. However, it is clear that we each have to attack different targets, due to the large number of opponents we face, but we should do so with due care."

"Agreed. And meanwhile me and Hensei will make sure our numbers increase, to even the odds." Repurika said.

"Do not presume to tell me what to do", Hensei replied, "as I am well aware of it myself. However, the process requires much in terms of energy from me, as I first have to morph and take on your form, Repurika. Our creator has made it possible for us to increase our energy by devouring hollows, so I will go do that right now. I suggest all of you join me, since we shall all need our energy for the fights to come".

In an hour's time, hundreds of hollows had been devoured and there were eleven jinin now, four more copies of Repurika having been created: Murasaki*, Kasshoku*, Kobaruto* and Enshoku*. The jinin were now busy planning which of them would go to what world, and whom they should attack first. Among the data that had been implanted in their memories, the jinin had a lot of information about all the strongest shinigami, plus the substitute one and his one of a kind friends (a Quincy and humans with uncanny abilities). They had where to choose from.

However, unknown to them, the slaughter of the hollows had not gone unnoticed. A lone figure had arrived at the scene, but long after the jinin had gone. The figure did not have much left to see, as there weren't any traces left to indicate who had been there and what exactly had happened…However, he decided to come back to keep an eye on the place in the future, despite the many menos and other assorted hollows roaming about. He shunpo-ed away for the time being.

*****

A couple of hours after the meeting, all the captains and lieutenants were gathered in front of the first division, from where they would open the Senkai gate and use garganta (a technique that had been provided by Urahara, who had only stayed in Seireitei for the time needed to make an opening into Hueco Mundo, after which he had hastily returned to the real world despite the fact that ever since the end of the Winter War he had been welcomed to Soul Society) to reach their destinations.

The group due to Hueco Mundo was going to leave first. Kyouraku didn't seem to be interested in the least of the fact that he would be seeing a new dimension in a short time. He was more interested in trying to hang an arm around his lieutenant's shoulders and hug her close, but Nanao kept on pushing his arm away, with a blush, an exasperated look and deep sighs.

Ukitake was trying to make peace between his two third seats, who were thrilled to be taken along with the rest, and therefore were arguing which of them would prove more useful in the search for the missing jinin. He was afraid that Kiyone and Sentarou's usual excessive enthusiasm was going to get them into trouble, but he hoped they would know when it was time to be serious.

Soi Fon was looking straight ahead, intent on her mission, but she could see her lieutenant in the peripheral vision, and the fact that he was happily munching on a fried rice cracker was making her twitch with the urge to knock it out of his hand and beat some sense into him. But she managed to refrain from doing so, thinking that if, no _when _they found the jinin, he would not have another opportunity to eat. She was sure she could find the rebels if they were anywhere in Hueco Mundo, but just for safe measure, she was taking her five Corps Commanders with her.

Hisagi was the only one who had chosen to go alone, because he hadn't decided who was fit to be his lieutenant, and his officers had to train much more before they could come on such a mission. He preferred letting them continue the training at the division's headquarters and help the others who were assigned to search for the jinin in Soul Society.

After saying their goodbyes to the Captain-Commander and the rest of the captains and lieutenants, the group left without a backward glance. The group due to the real world was next, and this was a much weirder one. Hinamori was sticking close to her "Shiro-chan", while an amused Matsumoto was snickering behind their backs. Hitsugaya wanted to snap at her, but considering the fact that she was in one of her rare good moods nowadays, he was loathe to ruin her fun, even if it was on his account.

Kenpachi was grinning madly, while whispering a single word "_Ichigo_". His small lieutenant was clapping her hands in excitement from her usual position on his back, while stealing glances at the last captain, who was as still as a statue. Byakuya still couldn't believe that he had to make a team with _these _shinigami. As if it wasn't enough to have two members of the 11th division on the team, they had _four_. Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika had been taken along by their captain, and Byakuya didn't know which of the two was worse. Ikkaku, who looked like he could almost _dance_ with excitement, or Yumichika, who suffered of a severe case of narcissism. He could only wish that they would part ways fast in the real world, while searching for the jinin.

This group also said their goodbyes, and followed the hell butterflies through the Senkai gate. On the other side, Urahara and Yoruichi were waiting for them, having been announced of their coming. However, it had been decided that Ichigo, Rukia and Renji not be told yet, as they would find out soon enough in any case.

On seeing the new comers, Yoruichi smirked, knowing it would annoy Byakuya, even if he wasn't going to show it: he was so uptight, he just invited teasing. Then again, she could imagine why he was looking particularly haughty this time; it was because of the other members of the team.

"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in", she drawled. "Welcome to the real world, ladies and gentlemen. How was your trip?"

"Yes, welcome, everyone", Urahara added, fanning himself lazily. "I trust you are all tired from your trip and will want to rest, and I have just the place for it" he said with a concealed grin.

"What non-sense are you saying?" Byakuya said, looking at the mischievous couple. "Our 'trip' was extremely short and we do not have the time nor the inclination to rest. We must proceed immediately to look for the jinin."

"Yeah, I have to find someone too, though it's not the jinin." Kenpachi said while Yachiru just laughed in delight. Ikkaku, who wouldn't have minded a rematch with Ichigo himself, murmured _'Right you are, taichou!_' Hitsugaya and Hinamori simply ignored them.

"Oh, but there's really no hurry, is it?" Urahara said, reassuringly. "There will be plenty of time to do that after you've seen your new residence. I am afraid I am quite sure finding the jinin will not be a task easily accomplished, which means you'll be spending quite some time in the lovely town of Karakura."

"Even if we'd admit to that", Hitsugaya finally spoke, "do you really think your shop will be able to accommodate all eight of us?"

"But it's not the shop he's referring to" Yoruichi said with a grin.

"Then what _is_ he referring to?" Byakuya said, beginning to feel extremely annoyed. It wasn't like he expected this to be easy, but surely both Yoruichi and Urahara were just trying to make things worse so that they could have their fun, which was unacceptable.

"Follow me, everyone, and find out", Urahara said, thrilled. He led them down the street for about a couple of hundred feet, and then stopped. They were facing a two stories high building which proudly announced "The Shinigami Hotel" in silvery metal letters above the door.

Kenpachi simply laughed aloud at the sight, joined by Matsumoto, while Hinamori was gaping at the writing, and Hitsugaya and Byakuya were wearing somewhat similar expressions of disapproval. Yumichika whispered '_This name is not beautiful for a hotel_'. Hitsugaya said, a threat in his voice: "Is this your idea of a joke? Because it is anything but funny!"

"Joke? Why no!" Urahara said, seeming offended by that idea. "And of course it's not funny. This is the result of a lot of work on my part, and at least once you're inside I hope you'll be able to appreciate it at its true value. You didn't think you were all going to fit somewhere in my store and stay there for free, were you? I am, after all a businessman!"

"I personally took charge of the design of the rooms so you should feel honored", Yoruichi put in. "My excellent taste will surely satisfy even the most pretentious customer".

"Let's just get this over with." Byakuya said, knowing that despite the outrageous name for the 'hotel', it was a good idea to have a place where they could all stay and not breathe down each other's necks…well, by the looks of the building, they were going to be rather crowded, but it was better than them all trying to stay at Urahara's shop.

"That's the attitude, Kuchiki-_sama_" Urahara said, in a slightly mocking tone. "You can choose from twelve wonderful rooms and I'll fill you in on the rent and anything else that you might want to know. For anything, gigai, soul candy, a shoulder to cry on…" at that last mention, everyone threw him looks that could kill "…I was just offering", he said defensively. "In any case, for almost anything, then, you can come to me and I'd be more than happy to assist you."

They entered the building to find a wide reception room, with a sofa, and a few armchairs gathered around an oval shaped table, a vase with roses on it. There was also a desk, presently unoccupied, but Yoruichi promptly went behind it to play receptionist. The room was very bright, the walls pale beige, paintings depicting angels, gods, and demons hanging from them a few meters apart from one another. A huge crystal chandelier was hanging from the ceiling, its lights turned off as there was plenty of natural light coming from behind the peach colored curtains covering the large windows.

"I'll be checking you in" Yoruichi said with a wink. "As you've already been told, we have twelve rooms, half of which are on the first floor, and the other half are on the second floor. Here on the ground floor beside this room you will also find the cafeteria, where you can enjoy delicious meals." Her voice was perky as she was promptly informing them of the services the 'hotel' was providing, but she could barely hide the laughter that was threatening to burst out any second now.

Byakuya, considering it natural for him, as a noble, to have priority, said: "I want the best two rooms you have here, though I doubt they will meet even half of my expectations. And they must be next to each other, of course. The amount of payment you will require is irrelevant."

"Oh, Little Byakuya, you think one room will not be enough space for your comfort? And here I thought you couldn't get more snobbish" Yoruichi burst out laughing, not able to contain it anymore.

"_No_, it is not that one room is not enough. One room is for me, while the other one is for Rukia. If I shall be staying here, so will she." Byakuya said quietly, hoping Yoruichi will cease laughing once and just get on with this whole thing already. His patience was wearing thin too fast for his liking.

"Ah, so that was it! I see…I do have to wonder if she'll come though, I have the feeling she's quite comfortable in Ichigo's closet" Yoruichi said, knowing that this remark will drive Byakuya crazy.

"She will do as she is _told_" Byakuya said, through gritted teeth. The fact that Yachiru was yelling in excitement while forcing Kenpachi to take her near each painting on the wall so that she could admire it was not helping at all. At least Matsumoto, Hitsugaya and Hinamori had sat down on the sofa and were quiet. Urahara, instead, was watching the whole argument between him and Yoruichi with a lot of interest and an insufferable smile played on his lips.

"Ok, great. Then you'll have rooms 1 and 2…Who's next…well, I think the 11th division will be better off on the second floor, so that's four rooms, say numbers from 9 to 12…And I think Momo-chan and Shiro-chan might want to get a room together" Yoruichi said suggestively, making the two in question blush furiously and deny with all their might. Happy that she had provoked a reaction in the otherwise 'icy' captain, she amended "All right then, if you're sure, then you can have rooms 7 and 8, on the second floor. Rangiku-san, you can have room 6, it's on the first floor, I hope that's OK." When no one objected, she continued: "I'll let you settle down then, but payment comes first" Yoruichi said, motioning them forward.

In less than twenty minutes, all the shinigami had inspected their rooms and had gathered downstairs to discuss how they were going to search for the jinin. Urahara had gone back to his shop, but Yoruichi was still there, and before the 'meeting' could begin, she observed: "I think this discussion will have to be postponed, we're going to have some visitors, in case you haven't noticed". They _had_ noticed, and each had reacted differently to it.

*****

Rukia was glad to have had so much fun at school that day, thanks to Ichigo and Renji. Those two hadn't stopped bickering for two seconds, which had earned them admonishing from several teachers, much to the class' delight. Classes were finally over, and the group was about to go their separate ways when they felt several familiar reiatsu appearing out of thin air in the direction of Urahara's shop.

Rukia whispered '_Nii-sama!_'

Renji was quick to exclaim, amazed: "Taichou…and so many others!", while Ichigo swore and groaned: "Kenpachi…"

"It seems like you're going to have to fight with him, whether you like it or not", Rukia said, though her mind was still on her brother, as well as on the fact that several captains, lieutenants and other shinigami had suddenly come to the real world. There was really only one explanation for this.

"We have to go!" She told both Ichigo and Renji. They nodded and then she told the rest of their friends: "I think it would be best if we'd go first to see what it's about. We'll let you know as soon as we can, OK?" The others also nodded and then Rukia started running towards her brother, with Ichigo and Renji close behind. They would have preferred to use shunpo but decided better to keep Chappy, Kon and Alfred (Renji could only afford the 5th popular soul candy) away from Byakuya and the others, and it would have been too much trouble to come for them later on. They were all surprised when they reached Urahara's shop, saw him wave at them in an extremely relaxed manner, but no trace of the shinigami who had come. They kept on going and then suddenly they stopped, unable to believe their eyes.

"The Shinigami Hotel" Rukia read out loud, utter incredulity pouring out of her. There was no doubt that this was the work of Urahara. She strode in, determinedly, followed by Ichigo and Renji who were beyond words with disbelief.

"Welcome, you three, we were expecting you", Yoruichi said, motioning to the armchairs that were still unoccupied.

"Ichigo!!!" both Kenpachi and Yachiru exclaimed rather loudly, which made the boy in question wince. In his haste to find out what was going on, he had almost forgotten who was waiting for him there.

"Nii-sama, what's going on?" Rukia wasn't about to be distracted, she knew something must have gone terribly wrong for so many powerful shinigami to come to the real world. She had to find out what was going on.

Before Byakuya could respond, however, Yoruichi continued: "Come on, you guys, have a seat, the explanation will probably be way too long and though I'm as anxious as you are to hear the details, I'd rather not do it standing." They saw the logic in that and sat down…and then the briefing began. Byakuya was the one to explain everything in his calm, even manner of speaking. Rukia was as shocked as Ichigo and Renji to hear such news, while Yoruichi merely nodded thoughtfully; she had been informed of the most important events before, but the details were significant as well.

Hitsugaya completed the story by telling them of their assignment, and he was about to add that they had to decide how to search for the jinin, when Ichigo interrupted: "Before you say more, Toshirou, I'd like to know what's up with this place."

Hitsugaya's eyebrow twitched. "That's _Hitsugaya-taichou_ to you. And this is where we'll be staying while in the real world."

"Yes, this is another great idea that Kisuke had", Yoruichi said proudly. "And Renji-kun, you'll have to move in here as well, he said he won't put up with your freeloading ways anymore".

Renji sighed, but nodded. He knew this was coming ever since he had read the writing above the building's door, but if a high rent was what he had to pay for being in the real world with Rukia, then he'd do it. It seemed a small enough price from his perspective.

"Rukia, you are to move in here as well, starting immediately", Byakuya told his little sister. "I have already rented a room for you and I expect you to be swift about the movement."

Before she could think things through, something in Rukia made her say: "But, Nii-sama, I'm sure Urahara charges high rent, while I'm presently paying nothing at all and I am very comfortable". She wanted to say more, but stopped when she realized she had argued with her brother in front of other people…many, important other people. This was not Kuchiki behavior, and she regretted following her instincts to speak up. However, she was surprised to hear Ichigo support her.

"Yeah, Byakuya, Rukia's fine where she is now, she doesn't have to move". His tone was definitely challenging, and while Rukia's heart filled with joy at those words, she couldn't stop thinking that Ichigo had once more addressed her brother much too familiarly, in addition to speaking against him.

"Rukia will move, _boy_, and that's final", Byakuya said, ignoring Yoruichi's snickering. To Rukia he said. "You will surely be safer here", at this Ichigo gave a short derisive laugh which Byakuya chose to do his best effort to ignore, while continuing: "and there is no need to worry about payment."

Ichigo almost bolted from the armchair and made a rude remark about Byakuya's flaunting his wealth, but Rukia put a hand on his arm to stop him while answering her brother: "Very well, Nii-sama, I shall move. I will bring all my belongings by the end of the day." This was the least she could do to amend for her mistake, plus she was still having nightmares every now and then, and Ichigo deserved to sleep without interruptions from her. But to her surprise, Ichigo was not done yet and had other ideas altogether.

"In that case, I think I'm going to join this party. I am, after all, a substitute shinigami, and since it's definitely going to come down to a fight if we find these jinin in here, then I'd rather not drag my family into it." Ichigo was only half aware of what he was saying, and wasn't very sure if his reasons seemed valid. All he knew was that he was glad Rukia was back from Soul Society, that he had missed her during the one day and a half that she was gone, and didn't plan on staying too far from her now, especially after finding out what dangers lurked possibly very close by. And he was happy to see that Rukia was smiling warmly at him.

"Oh, great, so one more customer, Urahara will be so thrilled. He knew this shinigami hotel business will bloom and bring profit. He's got such a mind for business…and not only". No one paid attention to what she was saying, as the atmosphere was rather tense. But Byakuya decided against putting Ichigo in his place. He considered it below his dignity to argue in front of so many others, plus he couldn't deny the Kurosaki boy the right to rent a room there.

Kenpachi, Yachiru and Ikkaku seemed particularly pleased that Ichigo was going to be nearby. Hitsugaya wondered if the building would survive should any of those three decide for a midnight fight with Ichigo. No, definitely no, the building would not remain standing. "Right", he said, trying to make them all focus on the issue at hand, "then let's talk about how we are going to locate the jinin, if they are even here in the first place."

"Their purpose is clear, to rule over both Soul Society and the real world, by means of overthrowing the Soul King and imposing their 'for the greater good' rules" Yoruichi said, serious for the first time that day. "But how are they going to achieve that?"

"There are two most likely options." Byakuya replied calmly, having managed to ignore all his personal issues for the sake of the mission. "They will either try to force their way in the Royal Dimension directly, or they will try to eliminate all possible threats first, and then attempt to reach the King. From these two, the second option is by far the most plausible one". Everyone nodded their agreement, amazed at how clearly Byakuya saw things.

"So if they are indeed trying to eliminate all obstacles, we, captains, are all targets along with the lieutenants and a few other skilled shinigami as well. They will surely come after the most powerful of us" Hitsugaya said.

"And don't forget Ichigo and his friends, they will surely be targeted too", Yourichi added. "But that means the jinin have to split up as well, and then we can turn this in our favor."

"And the good news is", Kenpachi said, "it means some of those jinin will be coming _here_". The idea of meeting with some of the jinin soon seemed to give him great pleasure.

"Considering the fact that there is already a team of powerful shinigami in Hueco Mundo, we can leave them to take care of any jinin that might be there or who might attack them", Hitsugaya continued. "Soul Society should also be safe enough with everyone who remained there, so we have to make sure we destroy all the jinin here. And from the looks of it, we have to let _them_ find _us_".

"True enough", Byakuya said, "but I do not like the idea of letting them find us. I suggest we do thorough searches on a daily basis. We might not be able to feel their presence, but that is no reason not to keep on looking".

"Though I don't like to agree with him, Byakuya's right", Ichigo said. He could have omitted the part about him not liking to agree with Rukia's brother, but he was too upset with Byakuya right now to consider what would be more _polite _to do. He figured the worst that could happen was a kick from Rukia the next time they were alone together. "I'll let my friends know about all this and we'll also search. Also, Yoruichi-san, it wouldn't be bad if you could convince Urahara to take them in. As you said, they'll be targeted too, not to mention that living closer by will help us coordinate...and there aren't any more rooms here, are they? After all of us move in?"

"Well, I suppose Kisuke is happy enough with the profit he'll be making out of this hotel, so he'll be willing to accept the three of them in the shop…wait, it's four of them now, with Tatsuki-chan, right? And even if he doesn't take them in for free, I'm sure they'll work something out."

"So let's do this then", Ichigo said. "Yoruichi-san, please go and talk to Urahara while I'll call my friends to tell them that they have to move and then I'll go with Rukia back at my house to take our stuff". Rukia blushed slightly at Ichigo's choice of words. She was sure Byakuya hadn't missed the "our" in that phrase.

"And let us do a preliminary search, just in case", Hitsugaya suggested. The rest of them nodded and within the minute they were all out the door. Ichigo wondered what he could tell his family about the fact that he wasn't going to stay at home for a while, but continue to go to school…as he was planning to go to classes, there was no point in missing school when it wasn't very clear if and when the jinin will be found or when the jinin will find them.

* * *

*Midori means green.

*Kin means gold.

*Murasaki means violet, purple.

*Kasshoku means brown.

*Kobaruto means cobalt (a medium blue color).

*Enshoku means, more or less, flaming orange.

* * *

**Author's Note: **There will definitely be fighting in the next chapter, but I hope you liked this one as well. It's going to be interesting having all these characters live under the same roof, don't you think? In any case, the title of the next chapter is "First Confrontation" and until we "meet" again, I wish you all the best! Bye.


	9. First Confrontation

**Author's Note: **Hello! Once again, I'm sorry it took so long to post this chapter, but not only did I write a lot this time, I also literally burnt my brains (as in, I probably have fever, but I don't plan to check to see if it's true lol) trying to come up with some very interesting stuff which I hope you'll like. As I'm sure you know by the title of the chapter, the shinigami will finally be facing the jinin in battle.

But that's not going to be the only battle here. I'll give you one hint: Zaraki Kenpachi. Yes, we'll finally find out his zanapkutou's name and abilities, at least the way I imagined it. And as a bonus, the same information about Yachiru will be inserted somewhere towards the end of the chapter. Don't skip ahead though! :P Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Bleach and probably never will in this lifetime.

* * *

**Chapter 9 First Confrontation**

Renji had very little, if anything, to move from Urahara's store to the hotel, so that he decided to leave his gigai in his new room, number 4. Ichigo had taken room number 3, next to Rukia's, but he was close enough himself so he didn't mind. Afterwards he went with his captain and the rest of the shinigami on that preliminary search for the jinin. They weren't really expecting to find anything, but then again, they weren't looking for predictable "creatures". It was going to be very tricky.

Ichigo had already called Chado, Tatsuki, Orihime and Ishida to let them know the news and ask them to move to Urahara's store. Everyone except for Tatsuki was OK with the idea, although Ishida had to comment on the subject, complaining that the shinigami always had to disrupt his otherwise peaceful life. Despite his words, everyone knew he wouldn't have it any other way; it was his choice, like all the others', to fight against any danger to Karakura Town. Tatsuki had the same issue as Ichigo: she lived with her parents, and had to come up with an explanation for her going away while still attending school.

They had actually debated on the phone what they could tell their families, but hadn't come up with any brilliant ideas. Rukia, who was walking next to Ichigo while he talked to the girl – as they were heading to the Kurosaki residence – had no ideas either, as she didn't know what would be a valid excuse in the real world for a student to go live somewhere else for a while but continue to go to school. It was beyond her area of expertise so she could only listen to Ichigo analyzing options with Tatsuki on the phone.

In the end, they decided to just say that they were moving out so that they could form a very close study group for the coming exams….except that a new term had recently begun so it was really early for them to do something like this. They were pushing their luck by posing as very studious students. But no parents ever complain that their children study too much, so they figured it was going to work.

"I really hope you won't get in trouble with your father because of this. He tends to be…a little too expressive and I really fear his reaction", Rukia told Ichigo after he hung up. "It might be better if I actually walked with you through the door instead of getting in through the window and support your story, saying that I too will move close by so that we can all study."

"Yeah, I think that's a very good idea since my dad seems to like you very much and will probably believe anything you say…on the other hand, his attitude towards me, his only son, is definitely worse, and he'll be suspicious about anything I say" Ichigo reasoned, on a dry tone. His father's attitude towards him had always been a mystery to Ichigo, but he had grown pretty used to it, so he didn't really mind it anymore. It was just one of those things.

"OK then, but best prepare your own speech, I'm sure your father will want to hear what both of us have to say on the matter…and we're almost there." They had, indeed, almost reached the house and Ichigo was about to enter the door, when Rukia stopped him. "I'd better go in first, that way it will be less likely that you'll have to dodge a hit."

And she was right. Isshin had, in fact, been waiting for Ichigo, an uppercut ready just for him, but seeing as it was Rukia who walked through the door, his fist hit thin air: the raven-haired girl was much shorter than Ichigo, so she didn't even have to duck that. Realizing his mistake, Isshin was quick to make amends: "Rukia! My third daughter, I am so glad to see you stopping by, it's been ages since we've last seen you round here. Forgive me for almost punching you but I thought it would be my stupid son, Ichigo, who is late for dinner again…"

Isshin was about to say more, but Ichigo interrupted him. "So you apologize to Rukia for almost hitting her, but you don't apologize to me even on those rare occasions when you do manage to land a hit on me. And you call yourself a father? What is wrong with you?!?"

"Onii-chan, don't pay attention to daddy, you know how he is.", Yuzu said, ignoring her father's usual complaints that his children are mean to him, and she addressed Rukia: "Welcome, Rukia-chan, will you be staying for dinner?"

"Konbanwa*, Yuzu. I don't think I'll be staying for dinner, actually Ichigo and I have something to tell you all."

"IT HAS FINALLY HAPPENED! Masaki, we're going to be grandparents!!!" Isshin cried, ecstatic, but his cry of joy soon turned into a cry of pain as Ichigo's foot collided with his jaw, and knocked him on the floor.

"You're way over the line, old man", Ichigo managed to say between gritted teeth, but his face was hot red due to both embarrassment and anger. He stole a glance at Rukia, only to notice her face was bright red as well, and he moved his look back to the big lump on the floor that was his father. "I actually wanted to tell you that I'm moving out for a while, I'm going to live in a hostel where Rukia and other classmates will also be staying so that we can form a study group and prepare for the exams."

Isshin gathered himself off from the floor, pondered his son's words for a few seconds and then his face lit up again. "There's no way you're moving out to study, son, though I appreciate your trying to spare my sensibilities. You may not have made me a grandfather yet, but the fact that you're moving away with Rukia-chan means you plan to do that soon. Such wonderful news!!!"

"Dad!" both Karin and Yuzu exclaimed. Their brother had more than exclaiming on his mind when he heard his father insisting with the same absurd idea.

Again, Ichigo shut his father up efficiently by hitting him with his fist in the stomach this time. "You are definitely impossible. There's no talking to you. Rukia, you tell him, please."

"Actually, Kurosaki-san, Ichigo is telling the truth. We are planning to form a very serious study group and you can talk to any of our colleagues to verify this information." Rukia said in her most grave tone, though her cheeks were still rosy and that took away half the effect. "It is not wise to study just before the exams so we have all decided to start early this term."

"I see…well, while I would have preferred my idea being the real reason behind this, I trust you, Rukia-chan. So did you come to help Ichigo pack?"

"Umm…yes." Rukia was still a bit outraged and somewhat intrigued by what Isshin had suggested, so her coherence wasn't holding up too well. She decided she had to go upstairs now, before Ichigo's father started to say something else that would embarrass them. "We had better start, it's already late and it wouldn't be wise to be out so late".

"Do you see what a good girl Rukia-chan is, son? And you don't know to appreciate her at her true value…Masaki, what are we going to do about him?" Isshin was once again in his own world, talking to the poster of his wife.

"Let's go, Rukia, while he's busy, otherwise we'll never get round to moving today", Ichigo said. Together they went upstairs into the bedroom, where Ichigo started packing some of his things, and Rukia had to explain to a very confused Kon what was happening. The mod soul was frantic with worry, but he calmed down when Rukia assured him that they'll take him along to the Shinigami Hotel.

Rukia put her few belongings in her backpack, and then assisted Ichigo with his suitcase, while smiling at her own thoughts. She wasn't an expert in how things normally were in the real world, but from what she had read or observed, it was usually the girls who took more time packing, not the boys. So the fact that she was helping Ichigo seemed outright funny…

But then she thought better and realized that this was a very intimate moment they were sharing, and she felt her cheeks warm up again. What was she thinking? No wonder Isshin kept on saying such outrageous things! She had to hold a tighter rein on her thoughts. She handed Ichigo a locket hanging from a simple thin silver chain that she found on the floor. "I don't think I've seen this before, but it looks familiar, what is this? Do you want to take it with you?"

Ichigo took the pendant in his palm and his face became awed with remembrance. "I had completely forgotten about this, thanks to whatever it was that played with our memories after we left the Royal Dimension. Don't you remember the Spirit King gave this to me and he gave you one too? Where is yours?"

Rukia had a sudden flashback and realized Ichigo was right, how could she have forgotten? She remembered wondering why they were the only ones to receive such an honor and how the most likely explanation was that he considered them brave for finishing off Aizen and Ichimaru, thought they had done so with the help of Urahara and Yoruichi. But why it was that the Spirit King had given them pendants and not medals or some other token of gratitude, she did not know.

"I think it's in my backpack's pocket" she replied, looking for it and, indeed, she found the locket. "We never did manage to open them back then, why was it? I seem to remember the Spirit King saying they will open at some point, but when and why?" Rukia wondered aloud.

"I think he said something about being able to open them at the _right_ time, but I have no idea when that might be. Anyway, they might be something to help us in tough battles, so I think it'd be best if we wear them", Ichigo said, putting the chain with the locket around his neck. Rukia did the same and then they quickly finished packing the last things in Ichigo's suitcase.

Finally, they went down to say goodbye to Ichigo's family. Karin didn't really like emotional stuff like goodbyes and wasn't really good at them either, so she spoke first to get it over with: "Take care, Ichi-nii, Rukia. Hope you won't take too long with this studying thing…I doubt I'll be able to refrain from killing goat chin here if me and Yuzu are left with him in the house for a long period of time" she said, pointing to her father.

Karin was trying to laugh the whole thing off, since she knew something was wrong. She had been having occasional headaches lately, and she knew that meant that _something_ was around. Her brother was most likely going to fight whatever it was, since he was a shinigami as well as Rukia, who was going to help him, she was sure of that. And she could only wish they will both be OK.

Yuzu managed to speak up through her tears. She always cried at times like this. "Onii-chan, come back soon, please. We'll miss you!"

"Sheesh, Yuzu, it's not like I'm going away forever. Don't cry, I'll come visit often!" No one heard Isshin muttering in a very low voice "So will we, my boy!" It was a promise. "And Rukia-chan, you come too, OK?" the girl pleaded.

"A…sure, I'd be happy to, Yuzu." Rukia said. Amazingly enough, she was feeling close to tears herself, and she rarely cried. But this was such an emotional goodbye, from a family like she had always wanted…actually, lately she was beginning to want to belong to _this_ family in particular. She couldn't help comparing this goodbye to her goodbyes to Byakuya…the difference was enormous. And what she really regretted was that the difference was not in the emotions, but in the communication: neither she nor her brother could manage to express their feelings openly, though she knew they both felt like this when they were saying goodbye to each other.

It was Isshin's turn to speak. "Goodbye my son, goodbye my third daughter. I hope you come to visit soon and that you'll tell me you want to book a room in my clinic some nine month from now". His grin was so infectious that despite his embarrassment and annoyance, Ichigo just smiled back: "Oyaji, just give it a rest will you? And all of you take care." Then he left with Rukia, trying not to let emotions overwhelm him. He knew it was stupid to feel like that, but he was just a bit afraid of never seeing them again…but that was pure pessimism, and while he wasn't a joyful person generally speaking, he wasn't going to mope around either.

_Rain might have plagued my world for longer than I care to remember, but there is always hope for a better future_, Ichigo thought, especially as his little ray of sunshine was walking just ahead with a sure stride.

*****

Byakuya was moving his gaze over each and every single object in his new apartment for about the 20th time since he had returned from the search for the jinin. He liked wide rooms and large, open spaces, and the Kuchiki mansion had both, and he missed the gardens where he could walk in the evenings undisturbed.

He was presently in the living room, as his bedroom did seem a bit too small for comfort. He had to admit it was a large enough room, with a massive oak desk, a large sofa, a TV (he knew about that but only because he believed in being informed before going to any place for a longer length of time), a bookshelf which was, ironically enough, almost filled with books that were supposed to help shinigami integrate in the living world….

On the walls, strange paintings similar to the ones in the reception room were hanging, and there were two windows from where he could see typical images of a real world town: streets, houses, but barely any vegetation. The only place where he could look and see something natural was the sky, where a crescent moon was shining a pale silvery light through the dark clouds. It seemed like twilight had passed too fast that day.

He was trying to convince himself that all this did not matter. After all, he was there to accomplish a certain mission, and everything else was irrelevant. But after Hisana's death he had had so little to enjoy in life that he missed even the smallest things when they were taken from him.

Another thing he missed was his quiet meals with Rukia. In the Kuchiki mansion he could have his privacy and enjoy her company, even if they usually just ate in silence, the conversation down to a minimum. Now, he dreaded going downstairs to the "cafeteria" where he knew the others were having dinner. The mere thought of being at the same table with them all gave him a headache. But he could not afford to go without food; he needed all of his strength for when they would finally locate the jinin. The seal had been removed, so he was able to use his full power, but to do that, sustenance was in order.

He pondered for another minute the advantages and disadvantages of going down to dinner and in the end decided to go, although he was sure he would regret it in no time at all. When he entered the cafeteria, he discovered that it was worse than he had thought. There was only one long table in the middle of the room, where everyone was already seated and caught in their conversations. To make things worse, Urahara had come as well, as if Yoruichi alone was not bad enough.

"I'm glad to see you've decided to join us", Urahara addressed Byakuya, in a slightly ironic manner. "We were afraid you were going to rob us of your honorable presence".

Byakuya decided to ignore him, as well as Yoruichi who was grinning incredibly wide, and who decided to give him the final blow: "Let me fill you in with the latest news. Ichigo's friends have moved into their new 'home' and Kisuke decided to give them more room, therefore moving the shop in _here_. After all, the ground floor space is not used efficiently enough just with that reception room and this one."

"Yes, Bya-kun and Ururu has cooked us a delicious dinner, try it!!!" Yachiru said, excitedly, her face stuffed with food.

"And", Yoruichi continued, "Kisuke and I will obviously live here from now on as well, in room 5, the only one left unoccupied. That means we're on the same floor, isn't that great, Little Byakuya? I hope you don't sleep too lightly at night as we might wake you then…See, we're not as shy as these two lovebirds", she said, pointing towards Hitsugaya and Hinamori, "so we definitely don't mind sharing a room…Actually, we wouldn't have it any other way…And seeing as your room is just four doors away…well, what can I say? We'll try to keep it down".

Byakuya was outraged, and by the looks on the faces of the two above mentioned captains, he was not the only one, but neither of the two had managed masking their stupor as well as he had. Hitsugaya was close though, as he had tried covering his shock with a mask of contempt and annoyance, but Hinamori was red from head to toe and simply staring at their landlords.

Byakuya was doing his best not to stare at Yoruichi himself. He couldn't believe the woman, she had no shame! Even if this was the real world and even though she had left Soul Society a long time ago, it didn't mean that proper manners were to be forgone. He was starting to understand why she chose to take on a feline form every now and then, it fitted her character so well. But that train of thought was getting him nowhere, so he didn't say anything, not wanting to let her know she had managed to unsettle him.

Kenpachi rose from the table then, Yachiru already on his shoulder, and Byakuya was mildly surprised, as he was sure the 11th division captain was not a prude, but maybe he was trying to preserve the innocence of his small lieutenant. Then he noticed the reiatsu nearby. _Ah, _he thought, _the Kurosaki boy…This should prove to be interesting. _But because his little sister was with him, Byakuya hoped Kenpachi didn't get _too_ carried away. In any case, his dignity prevented him to go with him and watch the fight, but he trusted Rukia to keep herself out of harm's way and that was what mattered.

"We're done here and we're going _out_" Kenpachi said, though the fact that Yachiru was still munching on a bun contradicted the statement that she, too, was done with dinner.

"Play nice now, would you? Remember the seal has been removed! We don't want Karakura Town destroyed." Urahara said, knowing full well that Kenpachi was not listening. To that particular captain, a fight where one didn't get to use his full powers was not worth bothering with. Ikkaku and Yumichika had followed their captain and lieutenant out the door, and neither of them seemed to have heard Urahara's warning.

Byakuya noticed that while his education and dignity prevented him from following the 11th division members, Yoruichi had no such problems, despite the fact that she was from a noble house herself. She changed into her feline form and gracefully went out to watch the fight.

*****

Completely unaware of the trouble coming their way, Ichigo and Rukia had stopped by Urahara's store, only to find that the building wasn't housing the store anymore according to their friends.

"Urahara-san went to live at the Shinigami Hotel", Orihime was explaining, "and Yoruichi-san did the same. The shop will be opening there, at the ground floor, starting from tomorrow".

"Yeah, Ururu and Jinta have left as well, but Tessai remined here", Tatsuki said. "We think he was left to make sure we behave…and that I don't run the place down while training with my RnZ!" She grinned and continued: "Turns out I can do some tricks without my weapon's help. While training hard to focus my energy to make the spear head glow, I noticed that I can actually channel my spiritual power towards my extremities and deal really strong kicks and punches. It's sort of like I am electrically charged or something."

"It is great that you are discovering new powers, but you might have to put them to use soon, and I hope you will be cautious in battle", Rukia said.

"Sure thing, Rukia, don't worry. If I still seem excited it's just because I can fight alongside you guys, but I know this won't be a game. I actually had to lie to my parents about this whole moving stuff…I'm a bit amazed it worked" Tatsuki said, puzzlement in her voice. "They were actually impressed with my determination to study. Who would have thought?"

"Well, they probably saw your determination and didn't understand that it was for fighting and not studying. In any case, you're lucky," Ichigo said, "my dad came up with the craziest ideas before finally letting it go".

"Ichigo," Chado said in his deep voice, "how bad is the situation?"

"Yes, Kurosaki, I would like to hear more as well, since you were rather short on the details on the phone." Ishida agreed, censure directed at Ichigo in his voice.

"Look, we don't have many details to tell for now. What we do know is that the jinin will probably try attacking us one by one, or when we're in small numbers, and we have to defeat them before they can kill us and find a way to get to the Spirit King" Ichigo said, frustrated by the lack of relevant information. "We also know that they're evolving, but we have no idea what they're transforming into."

"It is to be expected that a first fight with the jinin will give us more information since we will see them, face them in battle and observe what they can do", Rukia added.

"In any case, everyone back at the hotel went out to search for them and since we haven't felt any increase in reiatsu means there wasn't any fight. So for tonight, try to get some rest. I suppose that despite the situation, all of you want to continue going to school, and we have classes early tomorrow." Ichigo said.

"Goodnight then Kurosaki-kun, Kuchiki-san", Orihime said. Everyone else followed her lead and said their goodbyes. Ichigo and Rukia were headed towards the hotel when they felt two all too familiar reiatsu approaching them fast, followed by two others a bit behind.

"Now they find their sense of direction", Ichigo groaned.

"We're close enough for them not to get lost on the way", Rukia said, dread obvious in her voice as well. Kenpachi and Yachiru were coming to meet them.

*****

"Ichi!!!" Yachiru screamed excitedly, jumping down from Kenpachi's shoulder. "I'm so glad we found you out here, Ken-chan can't wait to fight you!"

"And we just couldn't miss the opportunity, now could we?" Ikkaku said with a grin, Yumicika by his side. "I doubt you'll manage to keep standing for more than a few minutes at most, so maybe some other day when you'll feel better you and I can have a re-match!"

"Ichigo", Kenpachi said, impatient to get the battle started, "I hope your little friend there passed on my message to you. Take your sword and let's do this right now".

"Yeah, Rukia told me, but I don't think fighting is a good idea Kenpachi, not with the jinin out there, probably looking for us. The increase in our spirit force will most likely draw them here", Ichigo tried to reason with him.

"So? Wasn't the whole point finding them?" Kenpachi replied with amazing logic. "I think you're just afraid."

Ichigo grinned "Afraid? Yeah, right! Actually, now that you pointed out the fact that this might act like jinin bait, I'm more than willing to fight you…here's not a good place though. Let's go outside Karakura!" He took out Kon from the suitcase where he was locked, took the mod soul out of the stuffed animal and swallowed it, instantly turning to his spirit from. Rukia had taken out a Chappy soul candy herself and was in spirit form as well.

"Kon, Chappy, take our stuff to…" Rukia thought for a moment "to our friends back at Urahara's store and wait there until we come for you." She wasn't going to let Ichigo fight Kenpachi without being nearby in case things got out of hand. She knew Yachiru would do nothing to interfere, so if it came to that, she was the one who was going to have to do something.

"Of course!" Chappy confirmed and was already running. "Take care, Neeeeeee-san!" Kon said in a whiny voice, but left after Chappy, taking Ichigo's suitcase with him.

The six of them shunpo-ed out of town and stopped near the river bank, just outside Karakura, at a safe distance. Yachiru and Rukia stepped aside, giving Ichigo and Kenpachi enough space. Rukia was surprised to catch a motion in her peripheral view and turning around she noticed that Yoruichi, in her feline form, was coming towards her. "Did you think I was going to miss this?" the former 2nd division captain asked, in the male voice she used while in cat shape.

They fell quiet though, as the battle had begun. Both Ichigo and Kenpachi were taking it easy at first, practically warming up, crossing their swords with less than their full power. But not one minute into the fight, Kenpachi became serious and started putting more force into his attacks, managing to place a light cut on Ichigo's left arm.

Ichigo retaliated by firing off a Getsuga Tenshou which Kenpachi blocked without making too much of an effort. "Come on Ichigo, fight me with all you've got! I wanted to show you my new abilities, but if you're not serious, I'm going to finish you off without having to use them!"

Ichigo could feel that Kenpachi's power had increased tremendously since the last time they had fought, and the 11th division captain had been strong enough before. He increased his speed to launch a series of attacks from all sides, but didn't manage to cut his ferocious opponent. He decided it was better to make this as short as possible. "In that case, let me try to change that. Bankai!!!"

Ichigo's shinigami robes turned into the long-sleeved, ankle-length black coat with red lining and ragged end, and his zanpakutou took its smaller, black form 'Tensa Zangetsu'. Without giving Kenpachi time to react, he used his super-fast speed to blast many powerful Getsuga Tenshou from different directions, which closed in on the captain and managed to get through his expert defense to cut his right shoulder.

"Now that's more like what I'm talking about. It means it's time to show you my new power." Kenpachi said, grinning madly. "Kirifuseru*, Futeki Buke*!" Ichigo was surprised to see that the zanpakutou didn't change its form much, the only difference being that its blade was not chipped and worn-out anymore, but straight and looking brand new.

He didn't have time to notice any other changes before his opponent launched himself towards him, and just as their blades were about to make contact, Kenpachi shouted. "Sensou no Bakuha*!" Ichigo had a fraction of a second to notice that Kenpachi's zanpakutou was lit with a golden light which engulfed him and then simply exploded all around him. He was knocked a hundred feet away, his body aching all over.

"Way to go, taichou!" Ikkaku shouted to his captain, while Yumichika added "That was a beautiful hit!" Yachiru was over herself with joy, seeing that Ken-chan was finally having fun after months of 'boredom'.

Rukia had jumped at the power blast that had sent Ichigo flying through the air and had almost started running to the place where he landed, but realized that even if she wanted to, Yachiru would object to her ruining Kenpachi's fun. Ichigo had agreed to this, so she could only hope he wasn't going to get hurt too bad. She planned to heal him as soon as the fight was over, and even before the end if it would become necessary, and she knew she would fight Yachiru if the little girl tried to stop her. Everything had a limit.

Kenpachi started walking towards Ichigo, who was trying to stand up, and his satisfaction was clear when he said the next words: "You see, the reason why I hadn't figured out my zanpakutou's name before was that I had a totally different view on fighting than it did. Futeki Buke prefers to fight only when necessary, while I would never miss a battle if the opponent is worthy. But after a nice chat, we managed to compromise. It seems my zanpakutou understood that each fight is good practice for when the important battles come."

Ichigo had managed to stand up by the time Kenpachi reached him, and was preparing to blast another series of Getsuga Tenshou when suddenly they saw six figures that seemed to have appeared out of thin air. They were all looking exactly the same, except for their hair and eye color.

The first thought that crossed everyone's mind was that these were the jinin, although they had been told that the jinin had no hair, were asexual – and these were definitely female – and had the same silvery-transparent eye color. But who else could they be? They had probably evolved well beyond what Kurotsuchi Mayuri had ever thought.

Everyone took a fighting pose while a pale blue haired woman spoke: "We are the jinin: Repurika, Kin, Midori, Murasaki, Kasshoku and Kobaruto. Due to the fact that you, shinigami, interfered with our plans which are for your own good, we have no choice but to eliminate you like the obstacles that you are. Attack!" Repurika screamed, and all the six jinin leaped into action. Their right hands changed from the elbow down to become a normal looking blade, with which each of them attacked a shinigami.

Repurika charged at Kenpachi, Kin attacked Rukia, Midori was crossing swords with Ichigo, Murasaki's advance had just been stopped by Ikkaku, and Yumichika had taken on Kasshoku, while Kobaruto was amazed to have to back out due to Yachiru's powerful blocking.

Nobody noticed the black cat that had started running away from the scene. Yoruichi knew that the shinigami back at the hotel could not feel the presence of the jinin and would not come to aid Ichigo and the rest in battle, thinking the increased reiatsu is due to his fight with Kenpachi. She had to let them know.

The shinigami were amazed to see that the jinin were not using any special abilities, and were simply attacking them with their ordinary swords. They had been expecting a much more powerful attack from them, after all they had heard, and this was turning out to be too easy. They figured that the jinin simply wanted to lure them into thinking that the fight won't be difficult, but they didn't seem inclined to show their true abilities without stimulation. So the same thought crossed everyone's mind: to use their special abilities and attack, in order to force the jinin into reaction.

Ichigo had Zangetsu in released form all the time, and Kenpachi already had Futeki Buke in shikai form, so it was only Rukia, Ikkaku, Yumichika and Yachiru that were left to release their zanpakutous. While intent on their opponents, Rukia and Ichigo could not help looking over at the 11th division small lieutenant, to see what her zanpakutou could do.

Yachiru chanted: "Ibiru*, Haradatashii Yousei*", and her zanpakutou grew and changed form, and now it had seven blades, a central long one out of which three others 'grew' on each side, the closer to the hilt, the smaller the blade. She chanted once more "Hanekaeru Gekihatsu*" and all six lateral blades shot forward to impale Kobaruto, while still being attached to the main blade by extensible, thin but unbreakable chains.

The others had launched their attacks as well, including Rukia and Ichigo, and they were fairly surprised to see it had no effect on the jinin, who simply absorbed most the hits…what was more of a shock to them was that their opponents swords changed to have four blades each and they attacked them with the shinigami's own special abilities, only they could blast off four attacks at the same time. Now everyone remembered what they had been told about Repurika and the others, who were obviously her copies…they had the ability to absorb, copy and send back a multiplied attack.

However, one of the jinin had failed to absorb the attack or replicate it, as she wasn't expecting to face an ice type zanpakutou. Rukia was happy to see that her first ability in shikai, 'Some no Mai, Tsukishiro' had efficiently frozen Kin. She immediately used the second step, 'Tsugi no Mai, Hakuren' to build up the ice particles and direct them toward her enemy in a massive white wave of ice, braking the ice block in which Kin was trapped. Together with the ice block, the jinin was blown to smithereens, which effectively stopped the others in their tracks.

The jinin might have stopped dead due to the suddenly cold temperature as well, but the true reason behind it was that the shinigami's reinforcements had now arrived, led by Yoruichi in her human form. Urahara, Byakuya, Hitsugaya, Hinamori, Matsumoto and Renji were all taking in the scene. Seeing that they had lost one of their comrades and that they were outnumbered, the jinin quickly used garganta to flee to Hueco Mundo. Before anyone could follow, the crack had closed.

"Well done, Rukia" Byakuya said, and his little sister's cheeks promptly turned pink. "Having seen this with our own eyes, we can confirm that the jinin's weakness is ice. That will be useful information in future fights." He was satisfied that they knew such precious information but couldn't help being upset over the meaning of it: Rukia will have to be in the midst of battle, along with Hitsugaya, theirs being the only ice-type zanpakutous.

"Yeah, congrats Rukia", Renji added. "You scared them all off, didn't' ya?" He winked at her. "You sure can clear a room…or an open place", he amended.

"Actually, I think our arrival had something to do with that", Yoruichi said. "That's not to say Rukia didn't do a great job. I think you all did pretty well, but it wouldn't have hurt if you remembered Repurika's ability. After all, it was clear who she was even before she introduced herself. You couldn't have mistaken the other five jinin for anything but her copies. So you should have refrained from using your special attacks, but next time we'll all know better, right?"

"In any case," Hitsugaya said, "now we know where their base of operation is: Hueco Mundo. They wouldn't have fled there just to escape us. And I hope everyone noticed they can use garganta."

"Well, no need to worry ourselves too much about that" Urahara said. "If you want to go to Hueco Mundo, I can help you, but we should consider the fact that a group of shinigami is already there."

"Yes, but will they be able to face all the jinin?" Rukia asked, worried about her friends from the 13th division who were there at the moment. "We barely managed to fight off these six ones, and they had the same abilities. There are at least four more out there, with different abilities, and their numbers might actually be greater if Repurika has produced more copies of herself than we know of."

"I'm not sure they can handle it. We should go help them!" Ichigo said, breathing heavily after his consecutive fights.

"I agree with that", Kenpachi said, who appeared to be unaffected by the recent fighting, a grin still on his lips. "I haven't had enough time to play around with those jinin and I can't wait to resume the fight."

"That is not advisable", Byakuya cut in. "There is nothing to guarantee that the jinin will not return to the real world, and if we go to Hueco Mundo ourselves, Karakura Town will be left unprotected". Ichigo winced at the thought, realizing Byakuya was right and disliking that fact. "The captains who are in Hueco Mundo at present are among the most powerful and experienced ones in all Seireitei and the rest of the shinigami there are also quite skilled. There is no reason to believe they will not handle their fights."

"So then let's just return to the hotel and call it a day, shall we?" Yoruichi said, yawning. "All this fighting has made me feel very tired and I'm sure we can talk more about how to defeat these jinin in the morning."

"What are you talking about, for crying out loud?!? You weren't even fighting!", Ichigo said, sitting down on the ground. Rukia noticed that he was in pain and she hurried to his side to heal his wounds.

"Well, all the running and agitation were enough to do the job for me", Yoruichi replied tartly. "Are you coming, Kisuke?" she asked Urahara who quickly replied '_Coming_'. The couple started walking towards the Shinigami hotel, but Yoruichi turned her head to add one more thing: "You'd all better hurry before I decide on a curfew and make you sleep outside if you miss it."

*****

In Hueco Mundo, the shinigami assigned to search for the jinin there were in a difficult situation. They had been constantly fighting hollows, while trying to advance and look for the jinin in their rare moments of peace.

"Ne, Juushiro," Kyoraku drawled, "don't you feel like we've drawn the short straw? I bet no one in Soul Society or the real world has to do anything but wait for the jinin to come to them". He sighed and continued: "I would have used that precious time to make some beautiful memories with Nanao-chan".

"Taichou!" Nanao said, blushing. "We should be happy that we have the opportunity to get rid of hollows; that is our job, after all". Her voice was properly offended.

"Really, Shunsui, is that all you think of? I only worry that we haven't managed to cover much of Hueco Mundo and it's a pretty big place, which means we will have trouble finding the jinin."

"We'll find them, taichou, don't worry!" Kiyone said, passion burning in her voice.

"Even if it's the last thing we do, we're going to discover where they are hiding!" Sentarou added, not about to be outwitted by her.

"I thought that much was obvious from what I said", Kiyone told him through gritted teeth.

"I wanted to make sure the captain knows he can count on us!" Sentarou replied, equally annoyed.

"Enough!" Soi Fon exclaimed. "As you should know, the jinin will probably come looking for us before long. Until they do, we have no choice but to keep on going and slay hollows on the way. If we manage to find them before they find us, even better, as the element of surprise will be on our side." She turned her head around, to look at her lieutenant, who was really falling behind them. "And Omaeda, try to keep up! We can't afford the time to wait for you".

"Yes, ma'am", the shinigami in question answered in a frail voice. He had done so much walking, had slain so many hollows, and had had so little to eat that day that he was feeling faint.

They continued on their way, until suddenly their path was blocked not by other hollows, but by the jinin themselves. There were five of them, and the fact that they looked nothing alike didn't fool the shinigami. They prepared for battle just as a figure closed in from the shadows and took in the scene before him.

* * *

*Konbanwa means "good evening"

*Kirifuseru means "cut"

*Futeki Buke means "fearless warrior"

*Sensou no Bakuha means "war explosion"

*Ibiru means "tease"

*Haradatashii Yousei means "irritating fairy"

*Hanekaeru Gekihatsu means "rebound outburst"

* * *

**Author's Note: **So this was my first attempt to describe fighting scenes. I hope it was well enough written, but I welcome any suggestions for improvement. How did you like Kenpachi and Yachiru's zanpakutous? Oh, and did you manage to picture Yachiru's zanpakutou in shikai form?

I'm not sure I did a very good job describing it but I know many of you guys are good at drawing so if you'd care to give it a try and post it somewhere and then send me the link, I'd be happy to tell you if you managed to draw it like I imagined it. I would do that myself, but while I am not quite as awful as Rukia at drawing, I'm not confident enough of my skills to try to draw it myself.

In any case, sorry I didn't reveal Kenpachi and Yachiru's bankai yet, but there will be plenty of time for that in future chapters. And talking about that, the title of the next chapter is "Balance Fighting with Everything Else". Before I go, I just want to thank everyone for their suggestions, I actually used some of them here! 'See' you later!


	10. Balance Fighting with Everything Else

**Author's Note:**A new chapter is here! ;) It's late, I know, but I caught a cold or flu or something, and I haven't been feeling too well. But now it's all done and this time the focus is going to be on romance! I really hope you enjoy it all as I have to admit I'm probably best at writing love scenes (btw, for now we're talking here about feelings not something else…), being an incurable romantic myself.

Oh, and about the lockets from the Spirit King, I wasn't planning to reveal what was inside of them yet, but I changed my mind in a sudden burst of inspiration, so I will give out _some _information in this chapter…well, the mystery will most likely remain, but it's better than nothing, right?

The identity of a mysterious figure lurking in Hueco Mundo will also be revealed…and there's going to be some action and adventure too, not to mention humor, so read on and enjoy!

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Bleach.

* * *

**Chapter 10 Balance Fighting with Everything Else**

While most of the shinigami in the real world were presently at the hotel, finally resting after what had been a pretty long day, Ichigo and Rukia were still out. After Rukia had finished healing Ichigo's wounds, they had gone to retrieve their things, in addition to Kon and Chappy, from the ex-Urahara's store.

Their friends had not gone to bed yet, anxiously waiting for the outcome of the fight between Ichigo and Kenpachi. Of course, they had no idea that the jinin had put in an appearance. So they were shocked when they heard the news.

"I don't know why you're so surprised", Ichigo told them. "We knew it was only a matter of time before they paid us a visit to try to get rid of us. And I just thought it would be better to draw them to us than to let them attack at a moment of their choosing. Why else would I fight Kenpachi if not to capture the jinin's attention? I'm not crazy like he is to want a fight for _fun_!"

Rukia added: "The jinin had probably already decided to attack us today and were in the real world by the time Ichigo started fighting Kenpachi. The only reason I can figure out for the fact that they attacked so suddenly when there were so many of us was that they figured at least two of us would be tired from their first battle."

Tessai, who was also with them in order to find out more about what had happened, nodded and then said: "Urahara-san told me something similar before he left. He said the jinin might be tempted to attack even if we are in larger numbers if they think they will have the upper hand."

Tatsuki, who was just a bit annoyed for missing the first fight, asked: "But why do you reckon there were six of them? If they planned to take us out one by one, shouldn't there have been less? Or do you think they want to attack each of us in large numbers?"

Ishida answered her: "Well, it's probably anyone's guess why they acted the way they did, but I believe they tried to split their numbers equally in two or three parts, to simultaneously attack here, in Hueco Mundo and Soul Society. So there are probably around either twelve jinin or eighteen". The same worried expression crossed each face in the group at the thought of eighteen jinin. "And while the ones that came here might have been planning to split in two groups of three and attack separately when there were fewer of us together, they probably saw Kurosaki's fight with Kenpachi as an opportunity too good to pass".

"That might be so…I guess we'll never know though", Ichigo said. "Anyway, I think it's getting very late, and further speculation is getting us nowhere. So you guys finally get some sleep and we'll see you tomorrow at school, OK?" He took his suitcase in which a protesting Kon was safely tucked and handed Rukia her backpack.

"Of course, Kurosaki-kun", Orihime said. "Take care on your way back, both of you" she added, looking at Ichigo and Rukia.

"We'll do that, thanks, Inoue", Ichigo replied. They all said goodbye and then Rukia and Ichigo were on their way to the Shinigami hotel.

The night was once more eerily quiet, but now Rukia knew better than to think herself paranoid for not believing the peace would last longer. She looked up at the starry sky and wondered why there had to be conflicts at all. The chilly wind made her shiver, which was unusual since she liked cold weather. But the shiver was not because of the cold, it was because of her thoughts.

She couldn't understand how the jinin thought that they could make the worlds better places by ruling them. Both the real world and Soul Society were already good places, beautiful places, and even though they were not perfect, that was the whole point: to go through both good times and bad times alongside those you cared for. She looked at Ichigo at that point, and again the thought of how much she had disrupted his life came at the front of her mind.

She wondered if he really was glad to put his power to use, or if somewhere deep down he wished he was an ordinary high school student. Ichigo picked up on Rukia's pensive mood, and seeing a slight frown on her face, decided to replace it with a smile at all costs.

"Oi, Rukia, you only have to carry your backpack, but my suitcase is rather heavy. Remember you gave me some of your things to carry in it too. How about if we take a five minutes break right there on the river bank?" he asked in a grumpy tone, trying to act as if he was really having difficulties carrying his stuff.

"Sure, but only five minutes, OK? We have to sleep, as we don't know what tomorrow will bring", Rukia replied in a melancholic tone.

They turned right and walked a bit until they had almost reached the water, and then they sat down on the dewy grass, looking at the moon's light reflected in the river. Fireflies were floating in the air, like golden little dots playing with each other, and the sound the wind made passing through the leaves in the trees seemed to softly whisper unknown words. It was hard to believe there was anything out there that could disturb such peace.

"On nights like this, it seems impossible that someone might actually want to change something, or to rule over something…it should be enough just to take the time to look around and enjoy what life has to offer." Ichigo knew that he wasn't that good with words, but he also knew it was important to let her know what he was thinking, so he continued: "And I'm going to fight anyone who threatens our way of living. It may not be perfect but it should be more than enough for anyone".

"I was thinking the same thing, as I really don't understand why there must always be someone who wants more power or wants to play God." Rukia said, her eyes looking ahead but not really seeing the beauty around her anymore. She was remembering Aizen, Ichimaru, Tousen, the Bounts…"I accept the fact that some souls, after death, become hollows because of the negative feelings that are haunting them. It's unfortunate that it happens, but at least hollows we can deal with relatively easy, and keep the balance. But why do we also have to face so many other powerful foes? Will it ever end?"

"I don't know about that, Rukia. It might never end, but I don't really mind as long as I can fight with you and the others by my side. And if we get some peaceful moments like the one right now, I guess that's all I can ask for." Ichigo said. He was a bit surprised himself to realize that this was how he really felt, but on the other hand that was what life was made of…hard times, good times, all shared with the ones he cared for. Was there more to it? Did he want anything more?

"I guess you're right", Rukia said, and she closed her eyes with a sigh, while gently laying her head on Ichigo's shoulder. She felt him jerk a bit with surprise. "That _is_ all one can ask for", she said, and then continued in a whisper. "_This _is all _I _can ask for". In that particular moment, at least, she was sure she couldn't ask for anything more. She felt like she was where she belonged, by Ichigo's side, and she felt extremely safe and warm and comfortable.

She finally admitted to herself that the Kuchiki mansion had never been her home and neither was the Kurosaki residence. Her home was not a building, but the place where her heart was, and it was clear that her heart felt at home wherever Ichigo was. It was as simple as that: she loved him, more than a brother or a friend…she loved him like she could never love anyone else. She was _in love_ with him.

Ichigo had been startled to see Rukia lean her head on his shoulder and feel her soft hair through the material of his T-shirt, but her words startled him even more, though what had surprised him was that she had admitted to so much willingly. His heart was threatening to burst with joy at the implication of her last words. And then, without a doubt, he realized that such a moment that the two of them shared was all he could ask for as well.

He knew then that the peace he was feeling had nothing to do with the quiet and beautiful nature around him. All along it had been Rukia, as she was the peace in his world, the sun that drove away the clouds and rain…only with her he could feel so calm and warm and…happy. And this was nothing he had ever felt before. It was very similar to how strongly he had felt for his mother but it was somehow deeper than that. He loved her more than anything else…he was in love with her.

The moment that epiphany made its way from his subconscious where it had been buried deep for who knows how long, he felt emotion take over reason and he started to lean down his head towards hers.

That's when she opened her eyes just a bit, to see why he was so quiet, and her violet-blue orbs widened when she saw him so close to her face. But then, in an utterly feminine gesture of total acceptance, she closed her eyes again and tilted her head oh so little towards him. Ichigo smiled warmly at the unquestionable significance of that small gesture and then closed his eyes as well, under the impact of all the emotions that were overwhelming him. Then their lips met.

The whole world seemed to have frozen in time. There was nothing more out there but him and her, caught in a whirlpool of tumultuous emotions that were drowning them in a sea of sensations. It was like they had been born for this moment when they would finally recognize in each other that one person who could make them complete.

The moment could have lasted one minute or could have lasted forever, Ichigo and Rukia had no idea which of the two it had been. But when they finally and reluctantly drew apart, they looked in each other's eyes, knowing that a vow had been taken right there and then: a vow to be together forever and stand by the other at all times, a vow that their destinies were now irrevocably and unequivocally intertwined.

And then Ichigo saw Rukia smile shyly while hugging her knees and his own face lit up in a huge and genuine smile like no other that had ever reached his face before. He had made Rukia smile, just as he had planned before asking her if they could take a break. But he had achieved so much more than what he had bargained for…and he couldn't be happier about it.

And then both of them suddenly heard two distinct clicks that they couldn't immediately pinpoint. Then they realized it was their lockets, which were now open. Both of them looked inside their own pendant, only to notice that one side was still closed but the other had some delicate writing in gold.

"Mine has writing in it, but the sentences are not complete, the ending is missing. Only the last one seems complete", Ichigo said, baffled.

"And my locket lacks the beginning of the sentences except for the last one", Rukia said, sudden comprehension in her voice. "Together we'll have the whole message! So you start reading one sentence, and I'll finish it…and we'll do that for each one of them."

Ichigo nodded and he started reading the first line, which Rukia ended, and they did so for each of the three incomplete sentences in the locket:

"_If aught must be lost…_

…'_twill be my honor for yours._

_If one must be forsaken…_

…'_twill be my soul for yours._

_Should death come anon…_

…'_twill be my life for yours._"

Then they both said together: "_I am Given_".*

They felt a current go through them, and again the world seemed to have stopped for a second…or rather, it felt like the world had changed substance somehow. It was like a spell had been weaved around them, bounding them together for all eternity.

"What do you suppose the Spirit King tried to tell us with these?" Ichigo asked, completely confused. Those few simple lines had summarized perfectly what he was feeling for Rukia…he was _hers_ and she was _his_, but would the Spirit King have seen it ever since the battle in the Royal Dimension where the war had ended? And he didn't even see him and Rukia together, he just saw them among a larger group, all of them intent on stopping Aizen. So what was this all about?

"I really don't know." Rukia replied, blushing at the thought that the Spirit King might have sensed something about her and Ichigo back then. But then again, the Spirit King was supposed to have extraordinary powers, so why would that be impossible? "While the message is something that might seem addressed to the two of us, I think we can give it a wider meaning as well", she reasoned, trying to make some sense of it. "Maybe it means that shinigami and humans should tighten their relationship in order to face whatever dangers lay ahead."

"Perhaps…" Ichigo said, doubt in his voice. He couldn't really figure it out, but he didn't want to either, at least not at the moment. He just wanted to take in what had passed between him and Rukia and he sensed she wanted to do the same thing. So they let the matter drop.

After a few moments when no words were spoken and in which both of them reigned in their feelings and erratic heartbeats, Rukia said, in a slightly shaky voice: "We should probably head back now, the others will be wondering where we are".

Byakuya's face flashed through Ichigo's mind at that, and he wondered how he was going to manage to get along with Rukia's haughty brother in the future…. He would have to, since Ichigo was determined not to be separated from Rukia for too long ever again, and he couldn't see Byakuya keeping away from her for too long either, as he had vowed to his wife, Hisana, that he would watch over her little sister. Well, some way or the other, they were going to have to learn to tolerate each other.

"Yeah, let's go before your brother organizes a search party for _you _this time, not for the jinin", Ichigo replied, but no sting was felt in his tone. He knew it might prove impossible, but since Rukia cared for Byakuya, he might have to try liking him as well. And if he were to be 100% honest with himself, there was plenty to admire about Byakuya, and plenty that could inspire respect. But he wasn't willing to go into all that right then. It was a time just for him and Rukia.

Ichigo got up first and then pulled Rukia up, and he didn't release her hand as they started walking back towards the Shinigami Hotel. This was how things were supposed to be from now on.

*****

When they reached the hotel, Yoruichi was waiting for them, and she seemed pretty annoyed, as she was tapping her foot impatiently. As she saw them coming in, she said: "And I was actually joking when I mentioned that curfew. Now it looks like I'll really have to impose one on you, since you don't seem inclined to return at a reasonable hour."

"Are you going to pose as a worried parent, Yoruichi-_san_?" Ichigo said a bit mockingly, knowing that she wasn't in the least inclined to follow rules or curfews or anything like that, her nature being a defiant one.

"Yeah, right, and the next thing on my 'to do' list is becoming a nun", she exploded. "I couldn't care less if it was just me, but since I _am_ the landlady here and Little Byakuya is probably upstairs working up a temper, I'd rather not have heads rolling in my hotel…well, it'd probably be just _one _head, an orange one for that matter", she continued with an evil grin towards Ichigo. "Also, I'm afraid I'm keeping Urahara waiting and I promised Byakuya some noise for tonight, and the noise I was referring to was _not _me shouting at you for being late."

Rukia and Ichigo both blushed as they understood that this was the real reason why she was so peeved. They knew they had to get out of there before she got even more annoyed, but before they could make their escape, Yoruichi blocked their path.

"Where have you been, anyways? And _what_ have you been doing?" Seeing how their faces had turned even redder, Yoruichi's anger subsided on the spot, being replaced with humor. She laughed hard, despite the murderous look Ichigo was throwing her way, and managed to say between delirious spasm of laughter: "Never mind that, I think you've been up to something worth being late over, so just be off to your rooms now, before I decide on a punishment. And trust me, compared with my punishment, facing the jinin in battle will seem like a pleasant holiday".

Both Rukia and Ichigo took her word for that and proceeded in going upstairs, to their rooms. All the apartments in the hotel looked the same, with one bedroom, one living room, a bathroom and a balcony, and the furniture and decorations were similar, the only difference being the colors.

Rukia inspected her room, which was light green from the color of the paint on the walls and the color of the curtains to the bed covers and the carpet on the floor. The living room was large and her bedroom was also nice, as it had a wide bed in it which seemed very comfortable. She placed her few clothes in the closet and most of her other stuff in the drawer of the desk that was by the balcony's door. She took a quick peek out the balcony but decided she'd go admire the view after she had a shower.

The bathroom was also nice, with a large bathtub in which Rukia decided to soak for a while, instead of just taking a shower. Once she felt warm enough she got out and changed into her pajamas. When she had been assigned to watch over Karakura Town, she had bought a few necessary things, with the help of Inoue. Among those were two pairs of jeans and pants, a few dresses, a few tops and skirts, as well as shoes to go with all that. Of course pajamas had been in order too, as she couldn't have kept the ones she stole from Yuzu. Therefore she was now wearing a blue tank top that had a moon and stars pattern with matching full-length pants.

She hadn't been able to fit everything in her small backpack and so she had asked Ichigo to take some of her stuff and he complied, and just now, before he had entered his room, Ichigo had handed Rukia her stuff. However, she was thinking she was probably going to have to go shopping soon, since she was going to be in the real world for a long time and her few possessions were not quite enough.

Rukia was feeling just a bit too warm now as she exited the bathroom, so she decided to go on the balcony and breathe in some cool air. She had barely stepped out when she noticed movement in the balcony next to hers. It was Ichigo, his head resting on the balcony's stone railing, his hands holding on to his head as if it might explode any minute.

"Ichigo, what's wrong?" she asked, worrying about him. Had she failed to heal all of his injuries?

"Rukia…you're out taking some air too?" Ichigo asked, lifting his head from the railing. "I've just about given up unpacking, there's way too much stuff in there and Kon's being impossible…seems like he heard parts of what happened at the river bank even through the suitcase." His cheeks turned a fade shade of red as he remembered their kiss. It was amazing how they had practically admitted that they loved each other and yet he was blushing at the thought of that one kiss.

"Don't worry, I'll come help you finish unpacking and calming Kon down, OK?" Rukia said quickly, as if she too was embarrassed by the reminder and wanted to change the subject as soon as possible. They might have realized their feelings for each other but they hadn't actually confessed them and they were definitely having trouble talking about that. They couldn't even say they were boyfriend and girlfriend yet, for crying out loud!

"Thanks, that would be great!" Ichigo replied, relieved that Rukia had changed the subject and that he wasn't going to have to deal with the modified soul or the mess alone any longer. "The door is unlocked so come right in."

"Sure, I'll be there in a second". With that, Rukia walked back into her apartment, then out of it and entered Ichigo's. The mess was, indeed, quite something, and Kon's wailing didn't help much.

"Kon, what are you wailing about?" she asked the stuffed animal, while picking him up and applying just the right pressure on his neck to make sure he understood the threat that came with the words.

"Nee-san…what do you ever see in Ichigo that I don't have?" Kon asked dramatically. "Now I have close to zero chances of reaching the Valley of the…ahhhh….." he didn't get to finish the sentence as Rukia threw him out on the balcony and shut the door behind him.

"I think if we leave him out in the cold long enough, he'll behave better in the future." Rukia said. "We'll let him back in once we clean up around here. It'll be a good lesson in discipline for him", she concluded. They started working together to put things where they belonged, and this time the atmosphere was even more intimate than the times when they had packed in the Kurosaki residence.

They had finished and were about to let Kon in, when there was a knock at the door. Ichigo went to get that, and was surprised to see Hitsugaya and Hinamori there. He had no idea what they wanted from him, but he let them in, at Hinamori's polite request.

"Hitsugaya-taichou, Hinamori-taichou!" Rukia was equally surprised to see them there, but no less than they were to see her in Ichigo's room, since it was a rather late hour of the evening. They also noticed for the first time Ichigo's and Rukia's matching lockets and Hitsugaya raised his eyebrows, but said nothing.

"Ano, you can call me Momo, Kuchiki-san, and if you don't mind I'll call you Rukia-chan" Hinamori said shyly. "And the same goes for you Ichigo-kun; since we'll be working so close together I think there's no need for formality."

"Of course, Hin…I mean, Momo-san." Rukia said, while Ichigo just nodded. Hinamori smiled kindly, and then looked at Hitsugaya, as if she was expecting him to offer the same, but he ignored her persistent look. No surprise there.

Ichigo asked: "So what's up, Momo, Toushiro?" His casual tone pleased Hinamori but not the boy standing next to her.

"That's _Hitsugaya-taichou_ to you!" the white-headed captain said, irate. "And we just came to inform you that starting tomorrow we'll be classmates". Ichigo and Rukia both felt their jaws drop at that statement. Since when? How? Why?

Hitsugaya continued "You were so late in returning that we had a brief meeting without you. It was decided that starting tomorrow, some of us will start patrolling Karakura in search for the jinin, while others will join you at school in case you are attacked."

Hinamori took it from there: "Kuchiki-taichou, Rangiku-san as well as everyone from the 11th division will be on patrol, while Toushiro and I will come with you at classes, so that we can be somewhat equally distributed in case the jinin strike again."

Ichigo smirked, correctly depicting the reason for Hitsugaya's anger. He didn't like posing like a little kid, but it was his appearance that had got him assigned to the school team instead of being put to patrol. While Momo had no issues with that, her boyfriend was clearly insulted.

"So from now on we'll all have to balance fighting with everything else, it won't be just you and Renji-kun", Hinamori said with another smile. "We'll go now, but we'll meet tomorrow at breakfast and then we'll walk to school together, OK?"

"Sure thing", Ichigo replied. "See you tomorrow!"

"Actually, I'm going to my room too, Ichigo", Rukia said, all of a sudden a bit embarrassed to have the two captains know she had remained in Ichigo's room after they had left. The fact that they could tell Byakuya about it was of no consequence, as she was sure he could tell where she was anyway, at such close distance. "Goodnight, Ichigo…and don't forget to let Kon out!"

When they were out the door, Rukia said her goodbyes and entered her apartment, while Hitsugaya and Hinamori went up to the second floor. Sensing that the short captain was still angry, Momo said: "I don't really feel like sleeping yet. Would you mind if we talked for a while?" She was sure she could make him vent all his frustration and calm him down.

"Yeah, why not, it's not like I can sleep in this frame of mind anyway", he muttered and followed Momo into her room.

*****

In the meantime, in Hueco Mundo, battle had begun and it was getting real bad real fast. Hisagi was fighting Mahi Itami, and had barely managed to break through his immobilization in time to avoid the next attack, which would have inflicted great pain.

Soi Fon, Omaeda and all the Cops Commanders were trying to hold off Gekitai but he was easily deflecting their attacks and firing them back. Kiyone and Sentarou were tackling Surikireru, but the jinin had already absorbed a lot of their reiatsu so Nanao came to their rescue. Next to them, Kyouraku was fighting Enshoku while at the same time trying to sweet-talk her into surrendering by complimenting her looks.

Ukitake was having trouble avoiding Hensei, who had morphed into Surikireru and had managed to take some of his reiatsu. He was having a coughing fit and was about to get hit by a powerful attack, when somebody suddenly appeared in front of him and blocked the jinin's attack.

Ukitake's eyes widened at seeing his protector, as he was a strange apparition. He seemed to be wearing shinigami garb, but he had a coat draped over it, adorned with hollow masks…and his face was covered by a hollow mask also. _An arrancar? But why is he helping me then? Or maybe a Vizard, but then what is he doing in Hueco Mundo? _Ukitake thought, being very confused.

He didn't question it for too long though, any help was welcome at the moment, as the situation wasn't looking very good. And it suddenly turned worse when six more jinin arrived at the place of battle.

"We need to talk!" the pale blue haired jinin shouted to the others. "Now!"

Though reluctant, the other jinin ceased fighting and together they all shunpo-ed away. The shinigami didn't think to follow, they needed a break to regain their strengths and rethink their strategy. The jinin had obviously evolved and they were more powerful than they expected.

But Ukitake needed to know if his masked protector was really on the good side, therefore he asked: "Who and what are you? Why did you help me?"

All the other shinigami had gathered around, to find out who the stranger was.

He was surprised to see the man taking off his mask to reveal spiky dark red hair and intelligent but sad eyes. The man spoke: "I am a shinigami, just like the rest of you, and that is why I helped you. My name is Kanou Ashido; I used to be a third seat in the 13th division…back in Kobayashi-taichou's days."

"So you're Kanou-san, I've heard about you from one of my officers, Kuchiki Rukia."

"Rukia?" Ashido's face lit up with recognition as he heard the name, remembering the small shinigami that he had met what seemed like ages ago.

"Yes, she told me about you and she actually asked me to allow a few of the shinigami in my division to accompany her back to Hueco Mundo to search for you. She wanted to bring you back to Soul Society…but she didn't find you despite looking for days, so eventually she had to come back." Ukitake said. He was very happy to have found Ashido, as he remembered how sad Rukia had been when she had returned from Hueco Mundo empty-handed. She would be happy to see him again.

"I did not know…I went in hiding after Rukia and her friends left, as there was an unusually high hollow activity and no matter how many I killed, more were coming for me. I was driven out of my hiding place and had to find another…" He seemed caught in a memory, but his next words showed that he was actually speechless with emotions. "So she remembered and came looking for me."

"But of course she did, it seems like you didn't get to know her too well if you doubted that." Ukitake replied. "Well, if I think back of the circumstances and the little time you fought together, it's understandable…"

"No, that's not it!" Ashido interrupted. "I felt that Rukia was a person who would come back for me, it's just that I didn't dare believe…I've been here for so long..."

"There's no need to stay here any longer. If you'll join us in our quest, you can return with us to Soul Society when we're done. Or if you'd rather not risk your life, you can remain hidden and we'll come back for you after we've accomplished our mission." At Ashido's stern look, he quickly clarified: "I'm not suggesting you're afraid, just that you've already done enough."

While the others had started healing their wounds, Ukitake proceeded to tell Ashido all about the jinin, and he was glad to think that when the shinigami from the past along with all of them were going to put an end to this new threat, he would finally return to Seireitei where he belonged.

*****

In the real world, morning had dawned and all the shinigami were reunited in the cafeteria to have their breakfast. As usual, Yoruichi and Urahara were the ones with the best mood, and since the others all seemed to be a bit grumpy, they decided to make fun of them.

"So, how was your first night at the Shinigami Hotel?" Yoruichi asked sweetly. "I hope you slept well! I would have provided the…_music_…to bring you nice dreams but I had something more interesting to do."

Silence followed her statement, accompanied by some embarrassed looks from the shyer ones at the table. Yoruichi wasn't going to be put out by them though, so she continued in her annoyingly cheery tone: "Well, I know you're all just dying to know what could have been more interesting, so let me tell you. We were up pretty much all night gossiping about a certain _couple…_" At that, Ichigo and Rukia blushed furiously, but, to their surprise, they weren't the only ones. Hitsugaya and Hinamori were doing the same.

Byakuya, Renji and Matsumoto were all interested in the news, seeing who it had been that had blushed, though only the latter voiced it out loud: "Oh, really? What couple? What did they do? I want to know everything!" Matsumoto's disposition had definitely improved at Yoruichi's words.

"Yes, Koneko*-chan, tell us, tell us!!!" Yachiru managed to squeal in delight, though her mouth was full.

"Well, I guess it wouldn't be ladylike of me to say it out loud like this…" Several mutters of "_Yeah, sure_" and "_Since when is she ladylike_?" were heard around the table, but Yoruichi just grinned wider. "In any case, I guess everyone's going to find out sooner or later, so I won't spoil the surprise for you. However, don't count on a quiet night like this again, unless you provide me and Kisuke with more subjects to gossip about". She winked and continued her meal.

When they were all finished, they separated into two groups: those who would go on patrol and those who would go….to school. The 'students' then divided into two groups, Ichigo, Rukia and Renji walking together in front, while Hitsugaya and Hinamori were walking side by side behind them.

"It's gonnna be pretty difficult to balance our fighting with school and homework and everything else", Renji observed. "I really don't see the point in this…Wouldn't it have been easier if those two behind and I had remained in spirit form?"

"Renji, we don't really know if there are other people in the school who can see spirits." Rukia explained patiently. "There are definitely some students with higher than average spiritual power, but unless we run a test to determine if they can see shinigami or not, we can't be sure, therefore it's best to save us all the trouble and just come in your gigai."

"Right…but I would have preferred to be out on patrol. And I think Hitsugaya-taichou would have preferred that too", Renji replied, sulking a bit.

"Well, Toushiro seems to be in a bad mood these days no matter what, so I wouldn't take that for a fact", Ichigo replied. "Let's see if a day in school can cheer him up", Ichigo said with a grin, anticipating how annoyed Hitsugaya would get in just a few minutes in his class, let alone a good number of hours.

"Oh yeah, I can hardly wait for it myself", Renji said with a similar grin, feeling better already at the thought that Hitsugaya was going to be put through to similar things that he had to endure on his first day at that school, in Ichigo's class.

"Guys!" Rukia admonished them, though deep down she had to admit she was anxious to see the white-headed captain's day in school as well. It promised to be lots of fun.

* * *

*the text in italics is a quote belonging to the author Karen Marie Moning, which can be found in several novels in her Highlander series; it represents a Celtic vow.

*koneko means kitten/kitty, and this is Yachiru's nickname for Yoruichi in my story.

* * *

**Author's Note: **OK, so this chapter was definitely focused on romance, and I really think it was high time Ichigo and Rukia realized what they were feeling for each other. I mean, Hitsugaya and Hinamori had done that already, as well as Yoruichi and Urahara, so what were those two waiting for? I hope you liked it, as well as the quote hidden in the lockets. It's one of my favorite quotes of all times.

And the mysterious figure in Hueco Mundo is finally identified. I am sure all of you remember Ashido, and if you don't, go back and watch a few Bleach episodes, starting with the 148th one. Anyway, about the next chapter, it's going to be called "Moving On" and I'll try to upload it soon. Thanks for reading, everyone, and have a great day! Bye!


	11. Moving On

**Author's Note: **Hi! I have to clarify a few things: the information about Ashido is mostly made up, except for his surname which I found on Bleach Wiki. I chose to make him a third seat because he's a very strong fighter even without releasing his zanpakutou and he doesn't wear a haori or lieutenant armband – though wearing the armband is not compulsory when not on a meeting – so he's probably third seat or lower…unless he lost or chose not to wear the haori/lieutenant badge. Why the 13th division? Because that's Rukia's division and while this story is definitely IchiRuki there might be some one-sided Ashido-Rukia stuff (obviously on Ashido's side) at some point…I haven't decided yet :P

And the name of the 'former 13th division captain' Kobayashi is invented because Ashido had been stuck in Hueco Mundo for centuries before the main Bleach storyline (again, that info comes from Bleach Wiki), so the captain back then must have been someone who wasn't mentioned in Bleach 'nowadays'.

As for this chapter, a slight warning: there's a bit of drama there but it won't last long, this is mostly a happy story :) Oh, and very slight Twilight influences in this chapter, hope you won't mind. Anyway they probably won't even be noticed by anyone else than truly maniac fans like myself lol. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Bleach.

* * *

**Chapter 11 Moving On**

In Hueco Mundo, in the depth of their fortress, the jinin were agitated.

"Kin was destroyed", Repurika said. "Kuchiki Rukia destroyed her with her ice attacks. This is a problem we have not anticipated. To be vulnerable to ice is one thing, and for others to be able to destroy us with ice attack is another thing."

Mahi Itami was beyond himself with disbelief: "And for that you interfere with our fights? A bit more and we would have eliminated all of them!"

Surikireru said: "I tend to agree with Mahi Itami. You shouldn't have interrupted the battle. We already knew we have a vulnerability to ice, so Kin should have been more careful. However, from the information we have been given it was clear that there wasn't anyone in the group of shinigami we attacked here who had a similar ability, so there was no danger in continuing the attack."

Repurika disagreed: "What about that shinigami that protected Ukitake? I don't think we have any information on him."

"He must have been absent from Soul Society for an extremely long period of time", Gekitai observed. "It's the only possible reason why we don't know anything about him. We only have data about shinigami from the last five hundred years."

"While he is an unknown variable, we have to take him out as well", Surikireru concluded. "He defended Ukitake, therefore he will stand with the shinigami against us. However, we must proceed with enhanced carefulness when engaging him in battle, and the same goes for Hitsugaya Toushiro and Kuchiki Rukia."

"Agreed, but then our priority should be eliminating those two shinigami with ice powers and discovering what this new, or rather, old shinigami can do." Gekitai said.

"Oh yeah, let's get rid of them first!" Mahi Itami said, incensed that a someone had dared destroy a jinin. His red eyes lusted for blood, the rule to defend shinigami all but forgotten.

"I believe it would be better to first test the strength of the shinigami left in Soul Society". Hensei had finally decided to say something. "If we do not encounter too much resistance there, then we can proceed with our plan of going into the Royal Dimension without having to kill so many shinigami on the way. Once we overthrow the King, we will set the rules and they will obey, for their own good."

"That might have been a good suggestion if we didn't take into account that the Captain-Commander is in Seireitei along with many other skilled shinigami. Do you really think they will not put up 'too much resistance'?" Repurika asked harshly.

"They are as vulnerable to us as are all of them. If they attack as with their strongest powers, we shall become more powerful ourselves. I do not believe even Yamamoto will be a problem", Hensei replied, her eyes instantly changing from golden to black, showing her irritation.

"We have already faced shinigami in the real world and here", Gekitai said. "In the real world, Repurika and the others retreated too fast after one of them was destroyed, but they might have had problems in eliminating the shinigami there because two of them have ice powers". He continued: "However, in Hueco Mundo we obviously have the upper hand, so we can always go back and eliminate them all. I do not believe the newest addition to their numbers will influence the outcome. Still, we don't have any experience in battle in Soul Society, so I believe we should move on and attack there to test their strength."

"So we attack Seireitei next, but keep in mind that our main targets for now are Kuchiki Rukia and Hitsugaya Toushiro." Surikireru summarized their talk.

"We have to recharge first", Hensei said in a somewhat alarmed voice, her eyes the color of blood now. "Hollow devouring is in order." She needed to feed before she could battle again.

"And if we run into the shinigami, we eliminate them", Mahi Itami said with satisfaction in his tone. They all headed out of the caves.

*****

Ichigo, Rukia and Renji stopped by what used to be Urahara's Shop (which they had decided to simply call 'the store') to meet with Tatsuki, Orihime, Chado and Ishida. They were supposed to walk to school together, so that in case of an attack they would be in a larger number.

As usual, Tatsuki was still enthusiastic. "Morning, guys! You won't believe how much better I got with the RnZ, and I'm actually becoming pretty good without…" she stopped suddenly when she saw Hitsugaya and Hinamori arrive behind the other three.

"Tatsuki, I think you're the only one who doesn't know our new 'classmates'", Ichigo told her.

However, before he could introduce them, Rukia took over, knowing that Ichigo wasn't going to do things in a proper, formal manner. "This is Hinamori Momo, captain of the 5th division and this is Hitsugaya Toushiro, captain of the 10th division. They are going to pose as new students so that there will be more of us in case of an attack. The rest of the shinigami are out, patrolling Karakura, just to make sure the jinin aren't out there somewhere."

"Hajimemashite*, I'm Tatsuki…and…hmmm…what should I call you, I doubt Hinamori-taichou and Hitsugaya-taichou will be appropriate for school".

Ichigo grinned widely at that, knowing the white-headed captain was going to be annoyed by that very true fact: "Of course it won't be, Tatsuki, Momo actually asked us to drop the formalities and I'm sure _Toushiro_ won't mind either. We're classmates after all, right?"

Hitsugaya didn't say anything but that might have had something to do with the fact that Hinamori had put her hand on his arm, trying to calm him down.

Sensing that there was tension in the air, Tatsuki continued what she was about to say before: "So anyway, as I was saying…I really think I'm getting good at focusing and channeling my spiritual power. Tessai was nice enough to lend me some stuff as targets so that I could practice and I'm telling you I can do real damage", she announced proudly.

"Well, you're probably going to need to do damage sooner than you think, Tatsuki", Rukia observed worriedly. "Our fights with the jinin are unavoidable since we now confirmed that they are indeed planning to kill us all first, and then attempt to attack the Spirit King."

Everyone was deep in thought, considering Rukia's words, realizing how true they were and the fact that peace would be from now on only a theoretical concept until this new threat was eliminated. However, there was one person whose thoughts were somewhere else. "Ano, Kurosaki-kun, Kuchiki-san," Orihime said shyly, her eyes fixing both Rukia and Ichigo's lockets, "I noticed this ever since yesterday but just didn't get around to asking before…are those matching lockets?"

Everyone looked at Ichigo and Rukia to see their lockets and Renji was surprised he hadn't noticed them before…he was also shocked. What could it mean? Before anyone else could find any reason at all why those two were wearing what were obviously matching gold lockets, Orihime continued: "May I see yours, Kuchiki-san?"

Rukia was at a loss about what to do. She knew that regardless of how light-headed Inoue generally was, she couldn't miss the fact that the sentences written inside were incomplete. She would put two and two together and then the new status of the relationship between Rukia and Ichigo would be made public. She wasn't ready for this. She glanced up at Ichigo, who gave her an almost imperceptible nod. She sighed.

"OK", Rukia told Orihime, and she handed her locket to the curious – and at the same time fearful – girl. Rukia knew that Orihime dreaded what she would find inside, but she could explain to her and the rest that the Spirit King had given those lockets to them and that they were more like an encouragement for shinigami to be allied with humans against all threats. She hoped it would appease Orihime, but she didn't believe it would. Rukia also had a feeling Renji might have objections as well, but she never did get the chance to analyze why her long-time friend was doing things like remaining in the 6th division instead of becoming the captain of another.

Orihime opened the pendant and her eyes went over the few incomplete lines. Her face blanched. "Ah…" she said softly, her breath catching in her throat, as if it had been knocked out of her. "I recognize this quote even though it is incomplete…Kurosaki-kun must have the first part…" She seemed to be talking to herself now. She recited "'_If aught must be lost, 'twill be my honor for yours. If one must be forsaken, 'twill be my soul for yours. Should death come anon, 'twill be my life for yours. I am Given_.' It is actually one of my favorite quotes, I found it while reading the review of a novel…I never got round to reading the novel though…"

By now she was not the only one lost in thought or in a state of shock. Renji had paled considerably himself when Orihime had recited the quote, and Chado, Ishida, as well as Hitsugaya and Hinamori were wearing similarly frozen expressions of surprise on their faces. Tatsuki was the only one who had reacted differently, and her face showed her inner turmoil, as her heart was ripped in two: the joy that Ichigo and Rukia had finally realized what they were feeling for each other, and the deep sorrow that Orihime had to find out so sudden, as well as Renji who was equally shocked.

"Did you buy these for each other?" Orihime managed to say, in a shaky voice. She was close to tears.

Ichigo, completely oblivious to Orihime's reaction but rather too aware of Renji's, said daringly: "No, but we might as well have done so! I mean, ever since yesterday…" His initial boldness subsided too fast and he didn't quite know how to say what he wanted to say. He hadn't actually asked Rukia to be his girlfriend, nor did the word describe too well what he was feeling for her, which was much deeper. He hadn't asked her to go out with him either…They haven't said much, actually, since words hadn't been necessary back then. What they had was beyond words. But now words would have come in handy.

He tried to pull himself together and continued awkwardly: "…well, since yesterday we're sort of together".

The silence that followed that statement was absolute, and all of them couldn't have looked better like statues not even if Hitsugaya and Rukia had combined their powers to freeze everyone to death.

Rukia couldn't believe Ichigo had revealed that just like that…to _Renji_, to Orihime,…to Hitsugaya and Hinamori who might decide at any second that it was their duty to report that particular piece of news to Byakuya, whose reaction she did not want to think about. What was he thinking? Was he thinking at all? First he had told Tatsuki about shinigami, Soul Society and everything else, now he was telling them all about their relationship, what was happening to him that he just didn't keep anything a secret anymore…? She preferred the truth out in the open as well, but some subtlety would not go amiss in certain cases…

Tatsuki was, again, the first to try to break the silence and try to make sense of things: "So you two are like _together_ together, boyfriend-girlfriend, going out and all that?"

"Yeah!" Ichigo said, belligerent again, daring any of them to object or say something negative about his relationship with Rukia, who wished for the earth to open up beneath her and swallow her alive.

However, out of the three persons who might have objected, one was out on patrol, and the other two were too stunned to speak or move or do anything really. Orihime's eyes were suddenly vacant as if she'd actually gone into shock, while Renji's expression was a mixture of disbelief, anger and pain, and he kept on clenching and unclenching his fists.

It was Hitsugaya's turn to break the ice: "While I can understand that this sort of drama is typical for real world high school students, I've only enlisted for the classes, and I'd rather avoid all other unnecessary things."

Hinamori silently admonished him for his bluntness by giving him a meaningful look and whispering in a reprimanding tone: "Toushiro!"

He simply took her by the hand and led her away. "We're going to classes! I expect you there," he told the rest of them.

"I will do the same, I don't want to be late", Ishida said, and quickly left the scene, followed closely by Chado, who gave a reassuring nod to Ichigo first. He wanted to stand by his friend, but these type of situations was out of his league. In a fight, he would defend Ichigo till death, but when it came to _girls_ and relationships he had no idea what to do or say.

Tatsuki said: "You know, that is a good idea. Why don't you take Rukia and go to school ahead of us, Ichigo?" She had to get those two out of there and then try to help Orihime and Renji get over their shock. They were in no condition to attend classes or to fight jinin…actually, they weren't fit to do anything right now.

Rukia nodded to Tatsuki, understanding the plan, and she dragged a reluctant Ichigo away. Ichigo was not sure he wanted to leave. He wanted to make sure first that no one had a problem with his relationship with Rukia, and it seemed to him that Renji was part of that category of people. He hadn't noticed the expression of pain on the red-head's face, just the anger, and he was willing to fight with Renji for Rukia if it came to that, even though he considered him a friend. The mere thought of someone trying to get in between him and Rukia made him want to go bankai. But if Renji wasn't going to interfere, then he would rather not fight him, so he allowed the small Rukia to drag his massive-in-comparison form away.

Once Rukia and Ichigo were out of sight, Tatsuki tried to calm down Orihime and Renji. "Look, guys, I can imagine how you are feeling now, but you have to snap out of it. If you really care about Ichigo and Rukia, then you should feel happy for them. It's not like we didn't see this one coming! You both have to move on!"

When she saw that neither of the two had any reaction to her words, Tatsuki was about to continue, but she noticed a slight change in Orihime's expression, who had just wiped off two sparkling tears from her cheeks. The girl said: "I know, Tatsuki-chan, but it doesn't make it any less painful for me. I hope I'll be able to get over this in time and to move on. After all, if Kurosaki-kun is happy, then it's OK, right?"

Orihime looked at her friend for reassurance and Tatsuki did not hesitate to nod and hug her close, while telling her: "That's right, Orihime." Then Tatsuki turned her eyes to Renji, who still hadn't said anything and so she asked him: "What about you, Renji? Do you think you'll be able to move on?"

Renji looked at her lifelessly, not even wandering how a girl he barely knew was aware of his feelings for Rukia. "I don't know", he said with a defeated voice. He felt like his body, mind and heart were all falling apart. "For so long I've lived only for the purpose of becoming stronger so that I could deserve _her_, so what's left for me now? What should I move on to?"

"Hey, I know Rukia cares for you deeply", Tatsuki said carefully, trying not to make him feel worse. "She will always be your friend and so will Ichigo because despite your bickering, I know you guys get along with each other very well. And you also have your responsibilities as a lieutenant of the 6th division, something which you should be proud of. We have the jinin to deal with now, and you can use your strength to protect both Soul Society and this world. So I think there are plenty of things 'left' for you, OK?"

"I suppose you're right", Renji admitted, but nothing in him indicated that he might have found a hope or dream to cling to. "As Orihime-chan said, if Rukia is happy with Ichigo, then that's the way it should be. But things are never going to be the same and for now I'm not sure I can handle it."

"I'll tell you what, today both of you ditch classes! It's not like it matters for you, Renji, since you don't plan to graduate here or anything, so you can go on patrol as you probably would have preferred from the beginning." Tatsuki was trying to sound enthusiastic, hoping she could make her friends feel livelier. "You have a weird phone like Rukia's with which you can contact the other shinigami, don't you, Renji? Hand it over!" She said in a tone that didn't allow any objections.

Mechanically, Renji handed her the phone and Tatsuki gave it to Orihime. "You call someone, since you're likely to recognize one of the names in there. Tell them to come to pick up Renji, OK? And maybe you should go with them too, you can definitely afford to skip one day of school and the search will keep your mind focused on that and nothing else".

Orihime browsed through the contacts and decided to call Matsumoto, with whom she felt most at ease talking to. She introduced herself and briefly told the strawberry-blonde lieutenant that she should come over and pick Renji up. For once, Matsumoto didn't argue or try to find out what that was all about, since she picked up on Orihime's dead voice. The cheery, considerate girl she knew seemed to have disappeared completely and that meant something was very wrong.

"OK well, you two stay here and wait for Matsumoto-san, OK? And both of you go with her when she comes! I'll run to classes now, I'd rather not skip classes or my grades will fall and then my parents will be wondering if I'm really having a study group at my new place or a party. Take care of yourselves and I'll see you soon, OK?"

The only reply she recieved was only distant nods from them both, but there wasn't anything more she could do for the moment. She was hoping they'd both be feeling better by the end of the day.

*****

When Matsumoto arrived at the store, just a couple of minutes later, she was shocked to see two 'zombies' instead of a shinigami and a human. What had happened there?

"Renji, Orihime, you look horrible!" She decided to tell the truth out front, because any delicacy at this point was probably only going to keep them in shock that much longer. "What happened?" She received no response so she tried to imagine what could make them _both _miserable at the same time. And then she remembered Yoruichi's words at breakfast that morning: "_We were up pretty much all night gossiping about a certain _couple… _I guess everyone's going to find out sooner or later, so I won't spoil the surprise for you_."

She instantly realized the meaning of all that. _Ichigo and Rukia are a couple now…Wow!_ She she was surprised about that, she couldn't allow her gossiping mind to take control and make her ask for the juicy details. She had to consider Renji and Orihime, who were obviously brokenhearted with the news.

"Never mind…I know I'm supposed to take you two with me to patrol Karakura, but I have a better idea." She took out her own phone and quickly dialed a number. She listened a few seconds and then snapped: "Urahara, this is not the time for you to play receptionist at the Shinigami Hotel! I need to know if you have any booze in that place."

Urahara's reply satisfied her and annoyed her at the same time: "I guess that'll do. And it's not _only_ for me, this is an emergency…you'll see." Again she listened and then said, through gritted teeth: "Yoruichi, I don't remember inviting you and why are you on the other line anyway?!? In any case, I'll be over there soon. Both of you better behave, since I'll have suffering people with me. And I don't want to hear any comments about minors and alcohol!!!" With that, she hung up.

Matsumoto dialed another number then, and when the other person picked up she quickly said: "Ikkaku, sorry to be troubling you, but I need you to give a message to the captains for me."

…

"Look, I'd really prefer not to talk to them myself, neither of them would understand such a situation so just tell them that there has been a problem and I can't return to patrol, OK? I'll be at the Shinigami Hotel with Renji and Orihime".

…

"You don't need to know and they'll find out when they come back! For now, all of you just focus on the jinin hunt, do you hear me?"

…

"Sheesh, no need for that kind of language! Thanks, anyway".

She hung up, and then turned to Renji and Orihime who hadn't moved one inch. "OK, you two, you're coming with me", she said, motioning Renji and Orihime back to the Shinigami Hotel. "I know exactly what to do in cases like this. And Orihime-chan, I don't want to hear complaints from you. Sake will be good for you even if you are underage!" she added, though the girl had no intention to object. She would have done anything at that moment to be rid of the ache in her heart. The three of them picked up the pace.

*****

Ikkaku was annoyed to the extreme that he had to tell the captains the things Matsumoto asked him to pass on. But there really wasn't a choice, due to the fact that when the 10th division lieutenant had received the call, they had all agreed to wait for her in order to find out what had happened. If she wasn't coming, then there was no point in waiting and he definitely wanted to fight today. No chance of doing that if they weren't looking for the jinin but waiting in vain…

"Excuse me, taichou," he began, addressing Kenpachi who was restlessly pacing around, Yachiru on his shoulder. "Kuchiki-taichou too", Ikkaku said, drawing the attention of the 6th division captain. "Matsumoto-fukutaichou called me and asked me to tell you that she's not coming back to patrol. She said there's been a problem and that she'll be at the Shinigami Hotel along with Abarai-fukutaichou and Inoue Orihime."

Byakuya stiffened slightly at the news. He had tried to ignore Yourichi's hints to gossip about a couple that morning, but if he combined that piece of information with what he had just heard, only one conclusion was possible. He _was_ going to kill Kurosaki one day, he had promised him that ever since their fight on the Soukyouku Hill.

But, as usual for him, duty came first. "Then we have nothing to wait for anymore", he said, his voice betraying nothing of the rage he felt inside. "We have to split up and each of us should patrol one area of the town. We will meet back here again in five hours' time to report if we have seen anything suspicious. I'm going to search through the west part of Karakura. I shall see you again in five hours". With that, he shunpo-ed away, before his façade cracked and his feelings were revealed.

"We're going to search in the northern part of town", Kenpachi said, looking at Yachiru to show him the way. The small lieutenant happily pointed him south, and they were out of sight, running, in a couple of seconds.

"So, which do you want, Yumichika?" Ikkaku asked. "East or north?"

With a theatrical sigh, the other shinigami responded: "Well, neither part of this town seems particularly beautiful, but I guess the eastern one might prove to be better."

"Great, then I'll go north. See ya around!" They parted ways, anxious to find some jinin and fight them.

*****

School was very interesting that day, as expected. When Tatsuki had finally arrived in class, the teacher had not yet arrived. She was questioned by a worried Rukia of Renji and Orihime's whereabouts, but she told her that they had decided to go on patrol instead of coming to school. Ichigo looked like he might have wanted to question things more, but Rukia shook her head and made the matter drop. She knew it was better to leave it at that for the moment.

When the teacher had entered the classroom, Hitsugaya and Hinamori followed, as they had been to the teachers' office to present their fake transfer documents. Hinamori was the first to present herself, and she nicely did so, receiving wolf whistles from Keigo and appreciative looks from Mizuiro as well as other boys in class, much to Hitsugaya's frustration. His way of introducing himself was much colder, and the fact that most girls were whispering to one another "_Kawaii!_*" didn't help. They took two seats next to each other at the back of the classroom.

In the break, the white-headed captain was desperate to escape the girls in the class who, despite the deadly looks he was throwing their way, couldn't stop themselves from petting him on the head. No matter how much he pushed their hands away, they kept on coming back. It didn't matter that he even asked them politely, with the very last traces of restraint, to leave him alone. He was truly desperate, and somewhat upset with Hinamori for not doing something about it. She _was_ trying to tell the girls to stop their petting, but she was way too polite and quiet for them to pay any attention to her.

Ichigo was having a lot of fun on Hitsugaya's account, but he decided enough was enough, so he had to come up with a plan to draw everyone's attention from their new 'classmate'. He looked at Rukia, who ever since the incident at the store had been very quiet and lost in thought. Then, the idea came to him, and he thought it would be great if he could kill two birds with one stone, and cheer Rukia up as well as save Toushiro.

He got up and asked Rukia: "Have you noticed how much attention our white-headed friend is attracting?" She looked over to Hitsugaya who was still fighting girls' hands off his hair and she nodded. "Well, what do you say we give him a hand?" Ichigo continued.

Although Rukia was usually happy of Ichigo's presence, in that moment she would have preferred him to leave her alone with her thoughts, but she didn't like the sound of what he was saying. Unwillingly, her interest was captured: "And how do you propose we do that?"

"Just follow my lead", he replied with a grin that promised nothing good in Rukia's opinion. Ichigo took her hand and got her out of her desk and then led her to the back of the classroom where most of the students were gathered to tease Hitsugaya. Then he stopped and draped an arm around Rukia's neck, ignoring the petite girl's questioning look, and then said to the 'victim':

"Don't you just love our friendly classmates, Toushiro? They seem very eager to make you feel at home among us."

Hitsugaya shot him a dirty looked but preferred not to enter an argument with Ichigo in front of all those people. However, the students around him had also noticed Ichigo, as well as where his arm was, which was exactly the orange-headed boy's intention.

But the students didn't consider the gesture important enough to take their attention away from their new 'pet', or at least the girls didn't think so. Further action was in order, in Ichigo's opinion. He gave a short sigh and said: "Oh well, as long as I've decided to do this, I might as well do it thoroughly." Then he quickly hugged Rukia close and before she could do anything but gasp in surprise, his lips had reached hers and the world had disappeared all around them again.

As much as Ichigo wanted to fool himself into thinking this was all for Hitsugaya's sake, he knew he had wanted to do this again ever since last night, after they had shared their first kiss. And while he didn't really want to share such a private moment with his classmates, he was somehow reluctant to kiss Rukia again while they were alone together, as he would have felt somewhat embarrasses…or at least, that's what he thought he would feel…he'd have to actually try it to confirm it, which was not such a bad idea.

But for now, as he felt her small body molded against his for the first time, he couldn't think of anything else except how perfectly they fitted together. He could feel her soft lips beneath his, a whiff of lavender coming off her skin, and he couldn't imagine anything better or more delicious in any of the worlds.

Rukia was going through similar emotions. After the initial shock, any outrage she might have been inclined to feel had fled, leaving room only for the wonder of feeling Ichigo's warmth melting away her reason and also melting any inhibitions she might have had at kissing in front of so many people. She tiptoed and threw her hands around Ichigo's neck – which was a considerable effort on her part, given the difference in height – and then intertwined her fingers in his unruly and spiky orange locks. She wished that moment of closeness would last forever as it was definitely the best in her life so far.

Ichigo lowered his hands from her back to her waist, and was about to deepen the kiss when, through his rosy cloud of bliss, he heard somebody clearing his throat soundly: "_Ahem_". That snapped both of them out of their trance, but Ichigo didn't let Rukia go immediately, but sheltered her from sight as she hid her blushing face in his shirt.

Looking around him, Ichigo could see stupor on the faces around them…even Hitsugaya and Hinamori were shocked, though they were aware of Ichigo and Rukia's relationship. Tatsuki was the only one who managed to hold it together, and she was smiling playfully at them. Though she was feeling very sorry for Orihime and Renji, she couldn't stop feeling extremely happy for Ichigo and Rukia. She remembered how Ichigo had been after his mother died, and until Rukia came along, he hadn't had any real desire to live. Now he had changed. It was a very good thing.

Chado was smiling to see such closeness between his good friend and Rukia, and he thought that Ichigo really deserved to be loved and to love back and to be happy. Ishida was shaking his head in a reprimanding way, because although he didn't find their gesture out of the ordinary, the place for it was definitely inappropriate.

Rukia finally calmed herself down enough to turn around and face the crowd, and the first faces she saw were those of Mizuiro and Keigo, both wearing heartbroken expressions. Keigo was actually crying desperately: "Rukia-chaaaaaaan, why?!?!?!" She had to smile at that: at least she wouldn't have to worry about Keigo anymore, it was obvious he had gotten the message that she was never going to be his girlfriend.

"What?" Ichigo asked, unperturbed. "Didn't you guys know about me and Rukia?" he continued his questioning, as if it was supposed to be obvious that the two of them were together. He didn't think of the fact that until yesterday, he had no real clue about his true feelings for Rukia either. In any case, his objective was accomplished: Toushiro was completely forgotten, but what to do now, when all the attention was focused on them?

Luckily, the teacher entered the class in that particular moment and everyone went back to their seats. The rest of the day passed without further incidents, though during the breaks Ichigo and Rukia had to take shelter on the school's roof from their inquisitive classmates. The fact that they were a couple was definitely the hottest rumor of the moment.

*****

Back at the Shinigami Hotel, it was hard to say if they were having a party or a funeral. Orihime, Renji, Matsumoto and Yoruichi were all gathered at one of the ends of the huge table in the cafeteria, a couple of bottles of sake in between them, and each of them was in a different state of inebriety.

Yoruichi wasn't actually drunk at all, she had just enjoyed a bit of sake while subtly making Renji and Orihime give her all of the details of what had occurred. She had little convincing to do in order to get Orihime to drink alcohol, as the girl was definitely not herself, but once she succeeded in making them all drink, the words seemed to flow out of them much easier. Now that she had a pretty accurate idea of what had happened, she was simply enjoying the others' drunken states.

Renji was very drunk indeed and he kept on saying "I'll get over this, we'll get over this, sure we will…" as if to convince himself rather than someone else. But Yoruichi was sure of the fact that with the way he was smiling rather stupidly, Renji was halfway through his crisis; he looked pathetic, but he'd get over it soon. In the morning, he'd probably suffer of a killer headache, but other than that, it should be OK. He will have probably come to terms with Ichigo and Rukia's relationship.

Yoruichi had been sure that something important had taken place between those two ever since she saw them return the other day, their faces were a dead giveaway as well as their matching pendants. But he didn't expect them to let the others know. She smiled as she wondered what they were thinking…actually, she could bet her beloved cat's tail that it was Ichigo the one who had the 'bright' idea of sharing the news with everyone. Rukia was much more sensible than that and would have thought things through first.

She was amused and a bit worried at the same time at the thought of Byakuya finding out…actually, she was sure he already knew, and the only thing keeping him from erupting was the fact that he still had to patrol. It was going to be quite a showdown when he would return and face Ichigo…Rukia alone might not be able to make peace between the two and again the hotel would be in danger of falling apart. The Soukyoku Hill had barely survived a confrontation between those two, so what was to be expected of a mere building?

In any case, she focused her attention on Orihime, to see if the girl had gotten over her shock with the help of the sake. Orihime was pretty drunk too, laughing and crying at the same time, and it looked as if she was laughing with tears, which wasn't a possibility Yoruichi could exclude completely, due to the girl's words: "The way they always were around each other and all that bickering they did…it was all sooo clear, I wonder how I could have fooled myself to ignore the truth…I'm sooo silly! But now I'm moving ooon and oooon and ooon" Orihime followed her words with circular movements of her arms which, of course, made her lose her already precarious balance and she fell under the table.

Yoruichi could hear light snoring coming from there, so she figured she could leave the girl there for a while, and wake her up later on. She turned her attention to Matsumoto, who actually had no real reason to be drinking instead of being out to do her patrolling, but who was the drunkest of them all. She was humming an unidentifiable song, while hugging the bottle to her chest and there was plenty to hug it with as she was very well-endowed.

Yoruichi thought that Matsumoto might actually be celebrating the fact that Ichigo and Rukia were together…she seemed to enjoy love stories and gossip and this was definitely something worth partying for. In any case, Yoruichi realized there was nothing more she could do there, so she walked out, easing the door shut behind her. She went to Urahara, who was at the reception desk, smilingly waiting for any potential customers…as if any would come.

"You eavesdropped when I was questioning them, didn't you?" Yoruichi asked.

"But of course, my dear" Urahara replied, hiding his smile behind his fan. "I had to hear the news with my own ears, but I knew you are better at getting the truth out of people so I decided not to interfere. Amazing news, don't you think?"

"Certainly, though good news if you ask me. I only fear Byakuya's reaction. It's bound to be trouble for us if he plans to wipe out everything standing in the way of him killing Ichigo."

"As you said, it's good news we're talking about. Don't underestimate the 6th division captain. He cares for his little sister and I think he'll be happy that she found someone who can make her happy."

"Well, what you're saying may be true, but only if the person Rukia chose to make her happy was anyone else but Ichigo. Renji might have been a good enough choice to appease Byakuya but I guess it just wasn't meant to be", Yoruichi mused. "I know Byakuya, even if he will accept Ichigo eventually, it's not going to happen any time soon. When he returns, all hell will break loose."

"I beg to differ", Urahara said. "Byakuya would not make a scene just like that, no matter how inclined he is to do so in his heart."

"Everyone has their limits, he'll snap!" Yoruichi countered, sure of her words.

"Wanna bet on it?" Urahara said mischievously. He was a businessman through and through and he just couldn't miss out on such a golden opportunity.

"You got it. What should we bet on?" Yoruichi asked, her golden feline eyes gleaming with the excitement of the challenge.

Urahara whispered something in her ear. Yoruichi laughed out loud at the proposal, and then replied: "And the same for you, in case I'm right. We have a deal." They shook hands like partners in crime, and then they both turned to welcome the two couples that had just walked in.

"Welcome back, _lovebirds_" Yoruichi drawled.

"Congratulations to the new couple, by the way, but also to the older one", Urahara added with a wink, both him and Yoruichi enjoying the discomfort they were causing the others.

Ichigo and Rukia both grimaced when they heard that _these two_ had already found out what had transpired that morning. They were grateful that they didn't know about what had happened later on at school….at least, they didn't know _yet_.

"How was school today? Fun for everyone?" Urahara continued.

"It was OK", Hitsugaya said sternly, hoping to put an end to any further questions. But his blunt statement only served to intrigue his two landlords more.

"Well, I'm sure Momo-chan will tell me more about it later on, won't you?" Yoruichi asked sweetly, knowing the new 5th division captain was too kind to refuse her.

"I…guess so…" Hinamori replied, and then ran up the stairs with Hitsugaya, before she would be asked about anything else.

"Don't you ever give up?", Ichigo asked, tiredly. His 'altruistic' gesture to save Hitsugaya had not earned him any gratitude from the short, white-headed captain, and instead, Ichigo and his friends had had to go into hiding each break to escape the million questions their classmates wanted to ask about him and Rukia. But while he might have been tempted to ask himself if it had been worth it, he knew without a doubt that the answer was 'yes'. Rukia's kiss was invaluable.

He ignored Yoruichi and Urahara's snickering and just dragged an equally exhausted Rukia up the stairs to their rooms. After they had gone up, Yoruichi suddenly grinned and told Urahara: "Well, we're about to find out who'll be winning the bet. Byakuya is on his way here."

* * *

*Hajimemashite means "nice to meet you"

*Kawaii means "cute"

* * *

**Author's Note: **This was it! I hope you liked it, I sure went through a lot of moods while writing it. Don't worry about Renji and Orihime, when they'll get over their headaches, their hearts will have mended a lot as well. The title of the next chapter is "Unpredictable" and I'm sure you'll never guess who wins the bet :) But feel free to try to guess what happens next! Bye for now!


	12. Unpredictable

**Author's Note: **Hi! I'm sooo sorry it took so long to upload this chapter, but I did tell you I haven't been feeling too well, plus October's here which means less time for me to write. So from now on I will only be able to update on a weekly basis…if I manage even that, but I'll try for sure. I hope you understand, since it's pretty much out of my hands.

Anyway, some surprises are on the way this chapter, or at least I hope so. While the focus at the beginning is more on suspense, later on humor is the goal, and I really hope you'll have as much fun reading, as I had writing this.

Thanks again to everyone who's reading this story and especially to those who have reviewed it, as I appreciate the comments, and to those who have added it among their favorites or put it on alert. Further comments and opinions are welcome, so don't hesitate to let me know what you think of the story.

Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Bleach.

* * *

**Chapter 12 Unpredictable**

In Soul Society, even though the sun had set long ago, all the shinigami were busy patrolling Seireitei and Rukongai, making sure no jinin were hiding somewhere, preparing their attack. All the shinigami were searching, with a few exceptions…the ones in the 12th Division were busy otherwise, as usual.

The data that the shinigami who had faced the jinin in battle had sent to Soul Society was all being analyzed in order to come up with a way to defeat them or, preferably, from Kurotsuchi Mayuri's point of view, to regain control of them. Ice was their known weakness but there were only two shinigami with ice type zanpakutous and with Repurika and Hensei's abilities to create more jinin, the odds were not good.

Nemu was considerably distressed to see Mayuri pace restlessly around the lab, pages and pages of reports, data, and analysis in his hands. He seemed crazier than usual, as he couldn't figure out what had gone wrong in the first place to make the jinin interpret two simple rules the way they had. And how could he make them see things differently now, and take them back, so that they wouldn't be destroyed or, worse, so that they wouldn't kill any shinigami or achieve their plan to overthrow the Spirit King.

He remembered the Captain-Commander's words the last time he had been called to report if there had been any progress in finding a way to defeat the jinin. '_When you presented me your idea for this project, you assured me that nothing could go wrong. Now your jinin are running wild and they are a considerable threat to Soul Society and not only. You brought this upon us all, therefore it is your responsibility to find a way out of this._'

Yamamoto had not said what would happen if he couldn't get them out of the mess, but Mayuri was sure it was not going to be good for him. He didn't want to return to the Maggot's Nest*, or worse.

And he just couldn't figure out a way to restrain the jinin. He had not made them incapable of hurting him, because he had thought the rules would be enough. Everything had been made on the assumption that they would follow those rules and Mayuri had not thought possible the fact that they might not, therefore he had no solution that could cover such a situation…

"Mayuri-sama", Nemu dared interrupt her captain's train of thought, "I believe that we might be able to come up with a way to capture the jinin, but in order to do that, we need to find out what it was that made them interpret our rules the way they did."

"And you think I don't know that, you useless and pathetic excuse for a shinigami?" Mayuri replied, annoyed to be pointed out the obvious by none other than his lieutenant, whom he had created. He _knew_ what they had to do, he just couldn't pinpoint what had triggered the whole disaster.

"Perhaps it is because of the fact that you also endowed the jinin with…"

"SHUT UP!!!" Mayuri screamed at her, while backslapping Nemu across the face. "I believe I have forbidden anyone in this laboratory to speak of that. It is NOT because of it that things have gone so bad. It can't be…I made sure…" he was once more lost in thoughts.

Nemu decided it was wiser not to say anything this time. It was clear that Kurotsuchi Mayuri was not going to listen to anyone in his present mood…but then again, maybe he would never listen.

*****

At the 1st division headquarters, the Captain-Commander was also having a conversation with his lieutenant.

"I have to take into consideration all the possibilities", Yamamoto was explaining to Sasakibe. "I am well aware of the fact that we have fewer skilled shinigami here after sending most of them off to Hueco Mundo and the real world, not to mention assigning some of the best to the Zero Division as well as to the Central 46 after the Winter War ended. However, we have to prevent the jinin from reaching the Royal Dimension at all costs, so should it become necessary, I too will join the battle."

The lieutenant pondered those words and replied: "It is true that from the information we have received, the jinin are most likely hiding in Hueco Mundo, but we cannot be completely sure of that fact, nor can we assume that they will remain there. Also, if the jinin's plan is to overthrow the Spirit King, will they not need the King's Key? And you are the only one who knows its location, therefore you should not leave Seireitei, Yamamoto-Soutaichou. The jinin will probably come after you."

"You are assuming the jinin will need the King Key to reach the Royal Dimension. Kurotsuchi Mayuri has assumed a lot of things about them as well, and that is what has lead to the situation we are presently in. These creatures are evolving, and they can already use Garganta. What is to say they will not find a way to reach the King without the Key?" Yamamoto asked, his long eyebrows rising slightly. "If we are to consider every possible scenario, this is something we should take into account. And then it might actually become necessary for me to go to the Royal Dimension myself, to make sure no one reaches the King."

"Sir, are you suggesting we should split up further and ensure increased protection in the Royal Dimension?" Sasakibe asked, his light amber eyes narrowing. "I agree that we should take this scenario into account, but how likely is it to occur? Even the traitor Aizen needed the Key to reach the King, are we to assume the jinin have surpassed him?" His voice held just a hint of doubt and concern.

"You are forgetting that when Kurotsuchi-taichou designed them, he had already had his data on the Winter War and all that it involved." Yamamoto answered, opening one of his eyes. "He gave the jinin power so that they could face even Aizen, and he gave them powers from all the species he has studied so far. I also have the feeling he is hiding something from me related to the jinin. In any case, we cannot be wrong in assuming we are only beginning to see the powers the jinin have, and in that case the scenario we were discussing is quite probable", Yamamoto explained calmly, although it was clear from the fact that he had now opened both eyes that he was seriously concerned about the situation.

"In any case," the Captain-Commander continued, "I will hold a meeting with the remaining captains in order to discuss whether to increase the security of the Spirit King by splitting our numbers again and sending some of them to the Royal Dimension."

Sasakibe understood that the discussion was over and that he was to let the other captains know of the meeting. Politely, he took his leave and left the Captain-Commander alone with his thoughts.

*****

At the 4th division headquarters, things were peaceful. Fortunately, since the war had ended, there hadn't been many shinigami in need of healing except for those involved in minor accidents. For things to continue that way despite the threat of the jinin was perhaps a bit too much to hope for, but Unohana Retsu did hope nonetheless.

She was seated at her desk, while absentmindedly playing with her long braid, when she felt her lieutenant approaching. "What news, Isane? Any sign of the jinin?"

"No, taichou, I am sorry to say that we could not find them. They do not appear to be here, although we know they have faced the others in battle in both Hueco Mundo and the real world." Isane said.

"You are worried by what Soi Fon's agent reported, are you not, Isane?" Unohana asked, gently.

They have had news about the battles not only from the real world, but from Hueco Mundo as well, due to the fact that Urahara Kisuke had reluctantly agreed to teach only one shinigami – who was to keep the secret – how to use Garganta. While the fact that he consented to do such a thing for free might have surprised some, those who knew him better were well aware that when the circumstances demanded, Urahara could be very selfless. He had trained Ukitake on the same day when the shinigami had split in teams and left for their assigned destinations.

So after the initial battle with the jinin, the 13th division captain had made an opening through which one of Soi Fon's agents had returned to Soul Society to report the news to the Captain-Commander and the other captains who had remained there.

Unohana had passed on the information she had received at the captain's meeting to her lieutenant, knowing that Isane would want to have news from her sister Kiyone.

"I admit that I am, taichou", Isane replied, a worried look on her face. "My sister is always so full of energy and wants to be most useful to her captain, which makes me afraid that she will do something reckless."

"I don't think there's any need to worry, Isane. Your sister knows to take care of herself, and there are many skilled captains and lieutenants there, and they will work together to fight off the jinin."

"Hopefully it will be…"

Isane never got to finish her sentence, as both she and the captain felt several reiatsu flaring up, among which those of the 7th division captain Komamura and his lieutenant Iba. The discussion would have to be left for some other time. The jinin were there.

At the same time when the two shinigami of the 4th division had felt the increase in reiatsu, the 3rd division captain, Kira, felt it as well, and so did Sasakibe who froze in place, all thoughts about the captain's meeting forgotten. Behind the door through which the 1st division lieutenant had just left, the Captain-Commander felt the reiatsu as well, and rose from his chair.

*****

All the jinin were now facing the shinigami from the 7th division, who were patrolling the area in which they had breached Soul Society. They were fourteen now, as Repurika and Hensei had made four more copies. Still, they were greatly outnumbered as all the shinigami were arriving at the scene, surrounding them. Mahi Itami smiled excitedly.

*****

In the real world, the night was about to bring other type of confrontations, though not less violent. Ichigo and Rukia had just gone upstairs, happy that Yoruichi had decided not to delay them any longer. It had been a long day, full of emotions. And somehow, they had made their relation public. Rukia had a few words to say about that, therefore she followed Ichigo into his room.

"Ichigo, I didn't want to talk to you about this until we were back and could talk privately, but now that we're finally here, I'd really like to know why you let everyone at school know about our…relationship." The word was still foreign to her and that was just another reason why she knew they should have kept the secret.

"Well, why not?" Ichigo said, though his voice was rather defensive than bold this time. "Why should we hide it? You were the one who suggested that I try to live a normal life, and it's very normal for a guy my age to have a…girlfriend". Ichigo was also having difficulties using such words in regards to Rukia.

"Of course I want you to enjoy a normal and peaceful life", Rukia said reassuringly, coming near him and squeezing his hand. "But our relationship is not something everyone will approve of, and we will now have a lot of explaining to do."

"Look, I don't really care who approves of this or not." Ichigo said frankly, as the only persons he could think of to fit in that category was Byakuya, and he actually derived pleasure from pissing _him_ off, and Renji, who he thought was just overprotective of Rukia, having been her friend for so long. He didn't think even for one second that Renji's feelings for Rukia were much stronger than that, nor did he realize the feelings Orihime had for him.

"You went to Soul Society as a baby, you didn't have any real experience in this world, and I'm determined to make up for that. I want you to see how things would have been if we'd both have been human and really have met at school", Ichigo said fiercely.

Rukia felt herself close to tears at those words, as she herself had thought about that hundreds of time since she had met him. She couldn't really grasp the fact that those dreams would come true now…it was too much.

And true to her thoughts, before she could get carried away any further, she felt Byakuya approaching the hotel really fast, his reiatsu at such high level that she felt her knees shaking. "Oh no", she whispered.

*****

When Byakuya entered the Shinigami hotel, Yoruichi was blocking the stairs, while Urahara was playing receptionist again, in a very relaxed manner. However, they were both watching the 6th division captain with a lot of interest.

"We have decided to take breaks in turns, in order to rest", Byakuya informed the two. "However, those from the 11th division seemed somewhat disappointed that the jinin were not to be found and decided to keep on looking for them a while longer. I, on the other hand, have business here."

At that, Byakuya took a few steps forward until he was almost at arm's length from Yoruichi, a startling fact in itself, since the haughty captain usually preferred to keep a wide area of personal space between him and the others.

"Move", he told Yoruichi, his blue eyes piercing into her amused, golden ones.

"Where are you going, Little Byakuaya?" Yoruichi asked, unimpressed with Byakuya's cold and straight to the point words. She was smiling mischievously as she continued her questioning: "You wouldn't happen to want to start a fight with a certain orange headed customer of mine, would you?"

"What I do is of no concern to you", he replied loftily. "Move!"

Yoruichi was grinning towards Urahara, feeling like she had won the bet already. She was about to move aside, when she felt Ichigo and Rukia coming down the stairs behind her. _They must have thought it better to come and confront him themselves rather than wait for him to come looking for them, _Yoruichi thought.

She wondered if it had been Rukia's idea or Ichigo's, and decided it must have been Ichigo's; he was the type of guy who had no problem fighting, especially if something as important as his relationship with Rukia was at stake. But then she realized they must have taken the decision together, since now they had admitted to the others and to themselves that they loved each other and were going to be together for the rest of their existence…Well, they hadn't admitted all that yet, but she was sure that's how they felt.

"I see everyone is bent on going up these stairs or coming down, so I guess I will move", she said sweetly, joining Urahara at the reception desk. This was going to be a show too good to miss, even if the hotel was going to come down on them all.

Rukia and Ichigo went down the rest of the stairs and then stopped in the spot where Yoruichi had been a moment ago. Two pairs of eyes, one amber, flaming with determination, and one violet-blue, inexpressive but for a slight vulnerability, confronted a third one, ice-cold blue and smoldering with restrained emotions.

Not a word was spoken and yet hundreds of unspoken messages passed in between them. Rukia was trying to convey to Byakuya how much she really loved Ichigo, trying to make him see that he was very important to her and that he was a wonderful person whom anyone would be proud to be close to, even a Kuchiki.

Ichigo was silently screaming his love for Rukia in Byakuya's face, telling him how irrevocably she had changed his life for the better and how he would never be separated from her. He dared the captain to object, to say so much as a negative word, and he would fight with all his might to defend his relationship with Rukia.

Byakuya started to open his mouth, maybe to utter that negative word which would have pushed Ichigo over the edge and made him attack. Seeing that, Rukia instinctively sought out Ichigo's hand who, unsurprisingly, was reaching for hers, and their fingers entwined while waiting for Byakuya's condemnation and disapproval. Neither of them expected blessings, because they weren't likely to come their way. However, it wasn't impossible either, and that's why both of them had a very frail hope buried deep in their hearts that maybe, _maybe_ Byakuya was going to approve at this after all.

Yoruichi and Urahara had both leaned forward, in their excitement to see what the formidable captain's reaction would be. But before Byakuya could form even the first word that he was about to say, something as unpredictable as a summer rain happened.

Someone burst through the hotel's doors. And not just anybody. It was Kurosaki Isshin.

"Ichigooooo, my son, I'm so glad to see you!" Isshin screamed at the top of his lungs when seeing Ichigo at the end of that great hall. He was smiling widely as he started to walk towards Ichigo, oblivious to the fact that Yoruichi and Urahara had sweat dropped and were watching him with incredulity written all over their faces. Nor did he appear to notice that Byakuya was looking at him as he would look at the lowest of insects, but the 6th division captain was not surprised about that.

After the Winter War, at a captain's meeting, the subject of why Kurosaki Ichigo seemed to have been and continued to be of interest to many, including Aizen, had been discussed. It was clear to all the captains that the Captain-Commander knew a lot more than what he was saying, and he wasn't saying much. He simply said that the interest in Kurosaki Ichigo was due to his lineage and that he couldn't reveal any more.

Byakuya had been intrigued about that ever since before that, so he had even sent one of the more trustworthy servants of the Kuchiki Clan to the real world, to find out as much as he could about the Kurosaki family. The servant had returned with the information that Ichigo's mother was dead, while his father seemed to be a doctor at a private clinic and pretty much a buffoon. However, there was more to him than appeared at first sight, and in reality Kurosaki Isshin was a shinigami.

The source of that information was as reliable as could be under the circumstances, meaning Urahara Kisuke, who no doubt had offered the information, under a promise of absolute confidentiality, at Yoruichi's advice, who surely knew Byakuya would have difficulties understanding the situation. And Byakuya had found this information very hard to understand indeed. While he didn't doubt the truth of it, he couldn't think of any reason why a shinigami was permanently staying in the real world. It was usually against the law, but this must have been an exception. But again, why? What could have been important enough to grant such an exception?

Byakuya had not managed to come up with an answer, since he lacked essential information which might have been found, he thought, in the Daireishokairo*. However, the access to that library was restricted and he could hardly ask for permission to enter it and do research for such personal matters as finding out who Kurosaki Isshin really was.

Realizing that investing further effort into solving the mystery would only waste his time, he had given it up. But now, when he was finally at close range from the object of that interest, all he wanted to do was for the man to leave him alone so that he could solve his business with his sister and Kurosaki _Ichigo._

In any case, he expected Isshin to pretend not to see him, as he had information that he was hiding his identity from his own family and Ichigo was present at that moment. Therefore, he addressed his sister in a quiet tone: "Rukia, I expect you in my room as soon as possible. We have to talk. Deal with this promptly." Having said that, he was about to proceed to his room when the unexpected happened again.

Like his son before, Isshin grabbed Byakuya's robes. There was a gasp from every single person in the room except for the two involved, but Byakuya did turn his head to face Isshin, mild surprise that the man had not only revealed the fact that he could see him, but had dared touch him as well. His face also said that he now considered insolence a Kurosaki family trait, at least on its male side.

"Who are you and why exactly are you inviting my third daughter to your room?" Isshin said, cantankerously.

Byakuya was further surprised to hear the man talk so casually of his sister. Rukia, though shocked and having a déjà-vu moment of the time when Ichigo had almost lost his hand due to a similar gesture towards Byakuya, moved faster than she thought she could and took Isshin's hand in her own.

"Ano, Kurosaki-san, this is my brother, Kuchiki Byakuya. He just came to visit me, so there's no need to worry. Nii-sama", Rukia continued, trying to maintain the appearance of normality in that completely unnatural moment, "this is Ichigo's father, Kurosaki Isshin."

Neither of the two gave any sign that they have acknowledged the introductions, while measuring each other up. However, Byakuya had no intention of interacting with the man, not in that moment, not in that place. "As I said, Rukia, I will have a word with you later." He left then, without looking back even once, but he did throw a piercing look toward Ichigo, who was still in shock.

Ichigo really didn't know what had happened. He had come down ready to face Byakuya in battle if necessary and just when he was about to find out what Rukia's brother thought of the new status of his relationship with her, his father of all people had shown up. And he could see Byakuya despite the fact that the 6th division captain was not in a gigai. How had that happened? His father was the only one in the family who couldn't see or sense spirits.

On the other hand, Ichigo had always found it strange that his father was the only exception in the family…well, his mother hadn't been able to see spirits either, but still…weren't things like this supposed to be hereditary? It seemed so, since Isshin could definitely see shinigami _now_. However, it seemed like he didn't know he was seeing them. From his following words, it was very obvious that Isshin thought Byakuya was just an ordinary man….well, maybe not that ordinary, as nobility and pride was rolling off him in waves, but human nonetheless.

"I don't care that he's Rukia's brother, I don't like that man's attitude", Isshin grumbled.

Urahara and Yoruichi, still upset that they couldn't tell which of them had won the bet, couldn't keep it up very long since they knew it wasn't Isshin's fault that he came at such a bad time.

They eventually smiled at each other and Urahara said: "Too bad for the interruption, I was sure I'd win and then I'd get to see if you survived telling Byakuya that Ichigo had thoroughly compromised his sister. Even though it's not true – at least I _think_ it's not true – I am sure he would have been annoyed enough to believe it and then he would have gone bankai on you first, and on Ichigo later. Even you might have had to use your long forgotten zanpakutou to be able to fight him off."

"Nah, _I_ would have won the bet and would have seen _you_ deal with Byakuya. And a few more corrections to your statements: my zanpakutou is not forgotten, I just prefer to fight otherwise, and I would not need to use it to handle _Little Byakuya_. Why, he wouldn't even be able to catch me in order to fight me." Yoruichi said, smug.

"I think we'll still have some entertainment from this situation though", Urahara said.

"Right, let's watch", Yoruichi said with a wink.

"Oyaji, what are you doing here?" Ichigo said, still baffled.

"What do you mean, my son? What kind of father would I be if I would not check on my adolescent son when he runs off with his beautiful girlfriend?!?" Isshin asked, with a thrilled look in Rukia's direction, who, after making the introductions, seemed to have gone back into shock. In reality, she was just thinking about the same thing as Ichigo, which was why Isshin was suddenly able to see shinigami. What could have triggered it?

Ichigo, from habit, was about to say that it was nothing like that and deny that Rukia was his girlfriend, but then he realized that it was not the case anymore, so he argued the only point he had left: "I did not run off with Rukia! I thought we told you we are having a study group here, and how come you knew we were staying here anyway?"

That was what Ichigo wanted to know most of all, because his father might have not realized that something was out of place – or rather, out of that world – but that wasn't going to hold for long if he saw other shinigami and noticed things like, let's say, their _zanpakutous._ There was no way even his father would consider _that_ normal.

"Well, my son, I went to a shop which was recently opened in town and which specializes in medical equipment. On my way back, I just happened to see you and Rukia-chan entering this building and I thought I'd pay you a visit and see how your studying is going." Isshin replied as if it should have been the obvious answer. It also sounded a bit too perfect, which made Ichigo suspicious that his father had found out about the Shinigami Hotel otherwise, and used the medical shop as an excuse.

"There was no need to do that", Ichigo argued, nervous about his father being there, where another shinigami could come in – or come down, like Hinamori or Hitsugaya – at any moment and make Isshin suspicious. "We're doing fine, studying hard, and we'd like to go back to our homework now."

"How cruel you are to me, my son, when I have missed you and Rukia-chan sooo much!" Isshin complained.

"Missed us? What were we gone for? Like two seconds?" Ichigo mumbled.

Isshin decided to ignore his comment and said: "Since I'm here, how about you two give me a tour of the place?"

Rukia, a bit desperate about where the discussion was going, said: "Kurosaki-san, these are Urahara Kisuke and Shihouin Yoruichi, the landlords of this place. I am afraid they have put a curfew…" she ignored Yoruichi's laughter at that point, "…and therefore no visits should be made after a certain hour. Maybe we could show you around some other day". Her voice was very solicitous.

"Rukia, my dear third daughter, I am so happy that you are so willing to obey the rules, and my regards to the landlords", he inclined his head to the amused couple at the reception desk, "for not letting you kids run wild, but who knows when I'll get to visit again?" Isshin said, dramatically. "Ichigo, you know daddy's working in a clinic, facing life and death situation on a daily basis, if I don't take this chance to see the hotel, I might never have another one".

"Aren't your patients the ones in life and death situations?" Ichigo mumbled again, while Rukia fretted, not able to come up with any excuse to get Isshin out of there.

"Kurosaki-san", Yoruichi said, "we don't mind if the kids show you around, we'd love you to see our hotel, we are very proud of it."

"But of course", Urahara added, smiling.

"See?" Isshin said to Ichigo and Rukia. "We have the landlords' permission. Lead the way, my children!" He spread his arms expansively, waiting for either of the two to begin the tour. And he waited…and waited…For a full minute no one moved or said anything. But that wasn't going to deter Kurosaki Isshin when he was excited about something.

"Very well, then I'll let myself in, to discover all these lovely rooms, just waiting to be explored." Isshin said, striding towards the cafeteria. For a moment, neither Ichigo nor Rukia had any reaction, but then Urahara's voice reached them: "Yare, yare*, it seems like Kurosaki-san will run into our friends Rangiku, Renji and Orihime, who are all drunk in the cafeteria."

"What? Dru…." Ichigo had started screaming, but Rukia reached up to cover his mouth before he could say the compromising word.

"We'll have time for questions later, now we have to stop him!" she said quickly, then she ran after Isshin and blocked his path, just as he was about to reach for the doorknob.

"Kurosaki-san, there is really nothing interesting to see in there." She was using her "sweet" voice again, and hoping that Ichigo's father would not be suspicious of her. "I am certain you will find the apartments more interesting. They are very large and quite artfully decorated".

Rukia indicated the direction of the stairs, hoping Isshin would take the hint. Unfortunately, he didn't. "I'd love to see them, of course, but what's in here?" he asked.

"Just the cafeteria, dad", Ichigo said, coming next to Rukia to block his father's entrance. "There's one at your clinic too, and this one's in no way more special."

"But this is a _hotel_," Isshin insisted, "surely they have a lovely cafeteria that is way beyond the one at my clinic. I'd love to see it."

Rukia had just started to open her mouth to argue with that statement when, like her brother before, she was interrupted by a person bursting through a set of doors. In this case though, it was Matsumoto Rangiku, still as drunk as could be, bursting through the cafeteria doors with a bemused expression on her face.

"Ichigoooo….Rukiaaaa….join the paaaaarty!" she said in a gleeful tone, slurring the words. Rukia wondered '_What is this, déjà-vu day?_'as she had just had a flashback of the time when she and Renji had found Matsumoto and Kira drunk at the 3rd division headquarters, back in Soul Society. She didn't have too much time to dwell on that thought because Matsumoto was definitely in a talkative mood.

"I thiiink there's stiiill oooooone bottle left if Renji and Orihime didn't driiiink it aaaaall." To Ichigo and Rukia's chagrin, not only did the drunk lieutenant revealed that 'minors' – because as far as they knew, Isshin thought Renji was underage too – had been drinking alcohol in there, she was actually carrying a half-full bottle herself, which she was now presenting for all to see, much to Urahara and Yoruichi's amusement, who had come closer to see what was going to happen next. "Thiiis oooooone's miiiine!!! I'm not shaaaring".

By now Urahara was grinning widely behind his fan, while Yoruichi was bent, and she was holding her stomach, laughing violently, completely ruining the first good impression they had made on Ichigo's father.

But Matsumoto was not done. She had looked beyond the frozen statues that Ichigo and Rukia had become and had noticed Isshin, who seemed unable to decide whether he was supposed to be amused by the whole deal or outraged. Of course Matsumoto was completely unaware of the fact that she was not in a gigai and that the man in front of her was supposed to be just that, a human man, who shouldn't have been able to see her.

"Well, loooook what we have heeeere." she said. "What's a fiiiine man like yourseeeeelf doing with these kiiiids?" She wrapped the hand with which she was holding the bottle around Isshin's neck and winked at him. "Why don't you jooooin a reaaaal woman, and we'll have some fuuuun…." That's as far as she got out after which she simply fell asleep, in Isshin's arms.

Ichigo finally snapped out of it and, with some effort, took Matsumoto out of his father's arms and shoved her towards Yoruichi and Urahara. Yoruichi was laughing even harder now, so she couldn't have caught the sleeping lieutenant, but Urahara managed to catch Matsumoto, and, reluctantly, he half carried, half dragged her up the stairs.

He was back soon enough though, just as Rukia came to her senses as well. And it was not a moment too soon, as Isshin seemed to have made up his mind how to react to all that: righteous parental indignation.

Rukia tried to prevent him from speaking as she quickly improvised what she hoped was a credible story: "Kurosaki-san, this is not what it looks like. Orihime and Renji are not even in the cafeteria, they are upstairs, studying!" She was using a very persuasive tone. "That woman was Matsumoto Rangiku, she is a cousin of Orihime and she just came to visit, like you did yourself."

Not being able to improvise too much, for fear of making a mistake, Rukia decided on telling a bit of truth: "We don't know the details, but it seems like she recently lost someone she cared for, and although what she did is not right, she must have decided alcohol was the only way in which she could forget."

Ichigo decided it was the case for him to support Rukia's story, so he added: "Oyaji, you can hardly blame her for it, but in any case, none of us is having any alcohol so you can relax."

Isshin did not seem convinced. "My son, when you told me you wanted to move away I suspected that it was a life of drinking and partying and having fun with Rukia-chan that you were looking for, and this incident only served to enforce my opinion. But if my sweet third daughter says that it's not like that…", Rukia made sure Isshin saw her nodding approvingly, "then I'll believe it."

Both Ichigo and Rukia were relieved and sighed quietly. They were even happier to hear Isshin continue: "I think I saw enough of the hotel for today. But I'll come back another day! And if I do find out that you were actually drinking and partying instead of studying, then the least you could do is present me with a positive pregnancy test."

With that, Isshin left, leaving behind four people, two of them red faced and beyond words with embarrassment and outrage, and two who were having a renewed laughing fit. Altogether it had been a way too unpredictable day…and it was not over yet.

* * *

*Maggot's Nest or Nest of Maggots is the prison located on the grounds of the 2nd division, where potentially dangerous shinigami are being kept under lock.

*Daireishokairo means Great Spirit Library

*Yare, yare is the Japanese equivalent of the English "my, my"

* * *

**Author's Note: **So, did you have fun reading? I hope you're not too upset that neither Urahara nor Yoruichi won the bet, but then again, Byakuya probably has enough issues to settle with Ichigo and Rukia, he doesn't need those two teasing him as well, right?

In any case, the title of the next chapter is "Bad Luck", and while I'm not particularly superstitious, I thought that would be fit for chapter 13 lol. I won't say what it's about though, you'll have to read and find out yourselves, and I hope you'll be able to do that by this Sunday. Can't promise I'll upload it for sure by then, though. Whenever it will be, until we meet again, have a great time! Bye.


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